Students may notice more open space in the Richardson Court area when they return in the fall.

The Andrews-Richards House, located south of the Hixson-Lied Student Success Center, is scheduled for demolition sometime within the next two weeks, weather permitting.

Built between 1955 and 1956, the Andrews-Richards House was originally used as a dormitory for home economics students. Within the last 10 years, however, the building had been used for office space before those offices were moved to the Student Services Center. Since then, the Andrews-Richards House has been sitting vacant for at least a year.

Roger Graden, associate director of the Department of Residence, said the needs and wants of students have changed since the building was constructed, and it is no longer meeting the demands of the 21st century. He also said the Andrews-Richards House was expensive to maintain and lacked efficiency.

“We’d rather put that money into our current facilities that we can house more people in,” Graden said.

Jon Harvey, manager of the demolition project, said demolition should take three days. Rather than replace the house, efforts will be focused on beautifying the Richardson Court area. With stone retaining walls, landscaping and new sidewalks, Harvey said the aesthetics of the area should be greatly improved.

He expects the project to be complete before students return in the fall, but trees and shrubs aren’t scheduled to be planted until September.