Despite their planned destruction, the Knapp and Storms residence halls will still be up and running for the next three to five years in anticipation of the completion of the Union Drive Suites.

Of the four Towers Residence halls, Knapp and Storms are the oldest. They were built in 1965 and 1966 and were meant to be used only as temporary housing, said Kate Bruns, communications specialist for the Department of Residence.

“The type of concrete that was used at the time was not ideal for the buildings,” she said. “And that is what is making the buildings deteriorate.”

The remaining two Towers, Wilson and Wallace, were built with more advanced technology in 1967, Bruns said. They will remain standing “for the foreseeable future,” she said.

“There are no plans to demolish them at this time,” she said.

The Knapp and Storms interiors are in good condition, but a $781,000 renovation was done on the facades of all four towers about two years ago to stabilize deteriorating exterior panels, Bruns said.

Heather York, junior in elementary education, was a floor president at Towers last year. She said she had to field a lot of questions about the fences.

“I know a lot of people had concern,” she said. “It’s really disconcerting to live in a building with fences around it.”

Bruns said the fences were put up about two years ago for the safety of people outside of the buildings. She said she does not think the appearance of the fences will deter anyone from wanting to live at Towers.

“The likelihood of injury is extremely small,” Bruns said.

There is no real danger of a panel falling, she said, adding that she has not heard of anyone ever being injured from a fallen panel, and injury played no part in the decision to put the fences up.

The interiors of the buildings are checked regularly, and preventative maintenance is performed every 10 years to keep the Towers intact, Bruns said.

The demolition of Knapp and Storms is scheduled to take place within the next three to five years, Bruns said.

“[Their demolition] hinges on the completion of the Union Drive Suites,” she said.

According to the Master Plan, residence suites eventually will take the place of the two Towers, Helser and part of Friley.

The first suite, scheduled to be completed in 2002, will be located near Friley at the current site of Clyde Williams Field. The second of the suite buildings will be finished by 2004 and the third by 2005, Bruns said. There also are hopes to have the Community Center open by 2003.