Lettermen Hall Days Numbered

[Bergermeister]

I guess Perkins Gym is older, but one of our oldest athletic facilities will meet up with the wrecking ball this week along with its fraternity house neighbors. Probably be cleared by the time the students get back. I know they cannot save the trees in the yards of these buildings because of the new construction, but hope they can save the ones that line the street. Anyone know when Lettermen Hall was last used as an athletic dormitory?

[DiamondM]

Drove by Sunday and all the glass had been removed. All that was left was the empty shell. I know that as of Fall 1990 it was the Honor's Dorm. My room was the second from the right on the 2nd floor. I still can't figure out how athletes fit in those tiny tiny built in beds.

[OC Mustang]

I think it is a little sad when "progress" paves over "old school", but I gotta say...getting rid of that funky smell (comes from the pipes in the basement is what I heard during school) in the Lamb Chop house is a good thing. To a man, all of the friends I had that were Lambda Chi's used to smell like their house. It was in their clothes and everything. A little like musty moth balls or something.

As for Letterman, what a bummer.

Hopefully, it won't simply be parking that they are creating.

[Peruna_Ate_My_Rolex]

Hopefully, it won't simply be parking that they are creating.

Actually, I think it might end up being a parking garage. At least that's what I understood. Then again, I could be wrong.

[Bergermeister]

I think it is supposed to be another Ownby-look-alike parking garage.

[covok48]

I'll take a parking garage over some dusted ratty ole hall any day. I remember participating in "The Great Escape" program on campus as we were stuffed into those tiny rooms in Letterman Hall. My storage unit at Public Storage was bigger than those rooms!

As for the Lambda Chi and SAE houses, some might be sad to soo them go until they check out the new houses that rival Dallas Hall in size. Good grief!

[mustangnation]

If they are putting a garage there wont that cause a traffic nightmare with moody garage being right there? i think that there are a lot more places that a garage could go. maybe in the parking lot across from the old UG apartments

[Cheesesteak]

From smu.edu:

Other current/upcoming SMU Construction Projects (besides Embry Engineering Building and Dedman Center for Lifetime Sports) -

* The old Alumni Center on Daniels Street will be demolished in early spring 2006.

* A structure at 6110 Ownby Drive will be demolished later as part of a plan to align University Boulevard between Airline Road and Ownby Drive.

* Letterman Hall and the Sigma Alpha Epsilon and Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity houses are scheduled to be demolished in early spring 2006 to make way for the construction of a parking garage. The garage, which currently is in the planning stage, is tentatively scheduled for completion in mid-2007.

* The two lower floors of Fondren Science Building will undergo renovation beginning in late May 2006.

[SMU Football Blog]

Drove threw campus yesterday. Demolition is in full swing. The east half of Letterman is gone. I would expect the rest to go today or tomorrow.

[Bergermeister]

Noticed they were cleaning and stacking a good deal of the brick. Seeing the interior of that structure, it was definitely built to last. I'm sure it was never considered "plush" (by any means) but you can bet it would never be blown away.

[MrMustang1965]

I picked up a brick as a souvenir the other day.

[DiamondM75]

I picked up a brick as a souvenir the other day.

STOP! THIEF!

[SmooPower]

Anyone know when Lettermen Hall was last used as an athletic dormitory?

I'm not sure exactly when, but I think the last year it was used as a dormitory period was '97-'98. I would guess maybe the last time it was used as an athletic dormitory was two years before that. But that is a guess. A bad guess. Guess.

[mrydel]

They had done away with athletic dorms when I was there (68-72). I do not know if the practice was started up again but it seems I recall them announcing that the athletes were going to start living with the "normal people" the year I began.

[PonyPride]

As of this morning (Wednesday, March 29), probably only about 25 percent of Letterman Hall is still standing, and what remains is nothing more than a brick shell. I wouldn't be surprised if it's gone by today or tomorrow.