The five miles of hallway in Friley Hall will not be renovated in the near future, said Randy Alexander, director of the Department of Residence.

However, steps are being taken to determine Friley’s place in the future of the Union Drive Association, he said.

The Board of Regents approved, at its January meeting, the hiring of consultants to study Friley and produce a feasibility plan, Alexander said. With the plan, the consultants will prioritize the work, give estimate costs and the project will then begin over a few years, he said.

The Master Plan, which was designed in 1998 to give Iowa State a plan to renovate, demolish and construct residence hall facilities, calls for the 1927 section of Friley, located west of the arches, to be torn down, said Kate Bruns, communication specialist for the residence department. The 1927 section of Friley was originally named Hughes Hall and was built to house 123 freshmen men.

The demolition of Westgate Hall is scheduled for the summer of 2003, according to the Master Plan. The demolition, in addition to the demise of Hughes Hall will save the university $3 million in maintenance costs. The actual demolition of both halls is estimated at $683,000.

Alexander said the Hughes Hall section is scheduled to be torn down just before the third UDA suite building is constructed. The first suite building, Eaton Hall, opened the fall of 2002. The second UDA suite is scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2004.

Student demand for suite-style housing is rising, while the demand for dormitory style housing, such as the rooms in Friley, is declining, Bruns said.