Development
BY ZARA FLORES
Long-time staple Frank Erwin Center coming down bit by bit
Demolition of the Frank Erwin Center has begun and commuters on I-35 are seeing the concrete walls come down, some even asking to keep a piece of the building and its near 50-year history for themselves. The details Nearly $100 million was poured into the center over the years with an initial $34 million for its construction and an additional $55 million spent in the early 2000s for renovations that included new lighting, seating and sound systems. The 500,000-square-foot center spanned upwards to six stories that hosted the University of Texas basketball games, high school and college commencement ceremonies, concerts and other large-scale events. However, the Moody Center’s completion in April 2022 essentially replaced the Erwin Center which held its nal events the following month. In August 2023, the UT board of regents announced that the center would be torn down to make way for the University of Texas at Austin Medical Center and an MD Anderson Cancer Center. The adjacent Denton A. Cooley Pavilion, which served as the basketball training facility since 2003, is also part of the demolition. What’s happening Costs for the demolition were anticipated to be around $25 million but Dan Cook, UT’s executive director of Planning, Design and Construction, said that the project is proceeding under budget. Demolition began in September and, due to the size and shape of the facility, the SpawGlass general contractor team is working to tear the site down piece by piece and have opted not to blow it up.
The concrete walls of the Frank Erwin Center are being torn down, exposing the interior.
Crews will tear down the steel beams after all the concrete walls are removed.
PHOTOS BY ZARA FLORES COMMUNITY IMPACT
is at and safe, SpawGlass Project Executive Ryan Syring said. Cook and Syring both said the process is very methodical and doing so, rather than blowing it up, also allows for up to 80% of the building to be recycled. “Everything’s proceeding on schedule and under budget,” Cook said. “It’s all happening at the right speed to support what we need to happen.” The project is slated for completion this fall.
“There is a signi cant amount of design e ort that’s required to take it apart ... to make sure you’re not taking out a structural component,” Cook said. There are around 70-100 workers demolishing the center, and almost all of the concrete walls have now come down. Crews are also working on abatement, which is the removal of hazardous materials, including asbestos and lead paint. Once the concrete panels are all removed, crews will begin removing the steel frames and beams before leveling the site completely and ensuring it
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