A correction was added to this article Jan. 11.

Because of a reporting error, the Jan. 11 article “Time for Towers to bid Iowa State farewell” gave an incorrect closing date for Knapp Hall. It closed in winter 2003, not winter 2004. The Daily regrets this error.

The occasional chunk of concrete might fall off from time to time, but the chain-link fences and wood canopies protected students as they walked to and from their homes in Knapp and Storms halls.

The Towers, as they’ve come to be known, may have disfiguring rust spots dotting their exteriors, malfunctioning elevators, out-dated heating, no cooling and the occasional hole in room ceilings — but for those who called Towers home at one point in time, these features give the buildings their unique atmosphere.

“They’ve had better days,” said Jeremy Kuhns, junior in mechanical engineering, who lived in Knapp his freshman year. “It gives it character, though.”

But to his disappointment and those of other ISU students who have called the walls of Knapp and Storms home, it will soon be time for the Towers to bid Iowa State farewell. At its December meeting, the Board of Regents approved the project description and budget for the demolition of Storms and Knapp this summer.

“It’s a memory, it’s an experience. You hate to see it go, but it’s about time to see them go,” Kuhns said.

Preparation for the demolition began in 1998, after the Board of Regents approved the Department of Residence’s Master Plan, which included plans for the Towers’ demolition. Storms was closed at the end of the spring 2003 semester. Knapp was closed during the winter of 2004.

Todd Holcomb, interim director of the Department of Residence and associate vice president for student affairs, said it would have cost more to renovate the Towers than demolish them. Renovation estimates exceeded $5 million.

University architects have said the useful lifespan of high-rise dorms such as the Towers is usually between 24 and 40 years. Storms was built in 1965 and Knapp in 1966.

Steffan Morrison, junior in aerospace engineering, said he remembers busted-out windows and cheap rooms being a staple of the Knapp decor. Despite the building’s maintenance issues, it was a place Morrison said he was angry to have to leave.

“I met some of my best friends out there,” said Kuhns.

Although the buildings’ distance from campus could be an inconvenience at times, Kuhns said it was that distance that helped give the Towers a relaxed environment.

“People would say, ‘Oh, you’re from Towers! It must be crazy!’ I didn’t think it was as wild as people thought,” Morrison said. “It was easier to get away with things there.”

He said he and most freshman usually want to party and celebrate during their first year of independence — and Towers was a fitting place to do so.

“You really weren’t afraid of getting in trouble,” he said. “I remember after a weekend the elevators were full of piss or beer cans. It was nasty as hell. It gave it an atmosphere of being wild, like Animal House.”

No plans have been made or discussion held about what the future use will be for the site Storms and Knapp occupy, Holcomb said. The commons area the two buildings share will remain for use by ISU Catering Services.

“It would be nice to let other people enjoy the experience I had living out there in Towers,” Kuhns said.

Luckily for Kuhns, Morrison and other former Towers dwellers, they will be able to celebrate the halls’ final adieu. There will be roped off press and spectator areas for people to observe what will be the largest implosion in Iowa to date.

“I’ll probably be there with a grill and a lawn chair,” Kuhns said.

Buildings beset with problems

Discussion about demolishing the Towers began a little more than seven years ago, when the Department of Residence and Construction Technology Laboratories, Inc. conducted a survey of the facades of Storms, Knapp, Wallace and Wilson halls in 1997. After looking at the study’s findings, it was concluded that Knapp and Storms had exceeded their life expectancies.

According to department records and the survey results:

• Many concrete panels on Storms and Knapp are cracked and delaminated.

• The embedded reinforced metal within the panels are corroded due to cyclical freezing and thawing — calling for their removal.

• Outdated cast iron piping need to be replaced.

• Both buildings need to be rewired.

• Towers’ heating needs to be updated by purchasing new boilers.

• The building’s windows need to be replaced.