By Britni Bateman
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Southern Illinois University Carbondale invites the campus and community to a Demolition Day event at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 6, as the university begins taking down six long-vacant residence halls along the former Greek Row. The event will mark a visible step forward in clearing space for a proposed new student housing development.
The brief outdoor ceremony will include remarks from Chancellor Austin Lane and Matt Kupec, vice chancellor for development and alumni relations and CEO of the SIU Foundation. Following the remarks, an excavator will knock down a portion of Fulkerson Hall, officially beginning Phase 1 of the demolition project.
Guests can enjoy music and food from local favorites, including Winston’s Bagels by B-Rad, Honeybeez Snowballz and Hot Dogs, and the American Ice Cream Truck.
This event is open to the public. Guests and media are encouraged to arrive a few minutes early.
Phase 1 includes the demolition of Colyer, Kaplan, Thalman, Fulkerson, Kesnar, and Wakeland Halls—all former residence halls that have been closed for years due to safety concerns and high renovation costs. The demolition is expected to continue through September and is part of a broader effort to modernize SIU’s campus footprint.
“These buildings served generations of students, but they’ve reached the end of their life,” Kupec said. “This is a significant moment for SIU, and the Foundation is proud to help accelerate progress as we look to the future.”
The SIU Foundation is playing a key role by providing a bridge loan to support environmental studies, demolition, and early site preparation. The cleared area will make way for Saluki Village, a proposed housing development that is expected to go before the SIU Board of Trustees in September for approval. If approved, construction could begin soon after with a target opening in August 2027.
In preparation for the demolition of Colyer Hall—the last occupied building in the project zone—the SIU Foundation will temporarily relocate to University Hall before moving into the new Tedrick Welcome Center in Spring 2026.
To learn more or make a gift, visit siuf.org.