On September 5, 2023, the demolition of the historic Florida A&M University residence hall, Gibbs Hall, commenced. Named after former university president William H. Gary, Gibbs Hall succeeds several other historic FAMU residence halls torn down recently.
Here at WANM, we decided to share the demolition on Instagram and asked alums to share their favorite memories of Gibbs Hall. After receiving nearly 500 comments and over 6,000 likes, we asked what they thought about the demolition.
Kristine Wallace, a 2023 graduate and former 90.5 radio host, lived in Gibbs in the fall of 2019 and said it was “one of my favorite memories of my undergraduate experience.”
Many former students are up in arms about the general demolition of the dorms they stayed in during their time at FAMU. However, many students who have stayed in these dorms in recent years are excited to see the university taking the initiative to upgrade on-campus housing.
“Gibbs should have been torn down a long time ago; it wasn’t a great living situation.”, said Elijah Rutland, a Spring 2022 graduate who resided in Gibbs Hall during the 2018-2019 academic year.
“While I hate to see my freshmen dorm go, Gibbs Hall has lived beyond its time. The structure definitely had its [issues] during my stay, and I can’t imagine it competing with the newly renovated dorms on campus now,” said Wallace.
Many alumni are concerned with the preservation of our historic campus. Several comments we received mentioned, “What about the history?” and “Campus doesn’t even look the same.”
When asked about the alum’s response to the ongoing removal of historic residence halls, Jennifer Wilder, Ph.D., director of university housing stressed the safety of the student body. “There were extensive structural issues due to water intrusion in the building that resulted in the decision to demolish the building. The safety and security of our students is the number [one] priority for the University, Wilder stated.”
In a statement Wilder shared how the university makes the decision to get rid of staple buildings on campus.
“The University did a facilities were feasible, cost analysis of renovation vs. demolition and the cost of new construction. A comprehensive review of this data in conjunction with the University’s master plan were part of the decision-making process.”
From parking to a brand-new dorm, there has been a vast range of responses about what should be done with the space.
“It would be cool if they built new dorms because of the central location on campus. You don’t need a car to get around,” said Rutland.
Wilder tells us, “The plan is for a new 500 bed residence hall to go somewhere between the site where Paddyfote was and the Gibbs site.” As of right now the plans have not been finalized.
