Cost to raze Ga. State building rises to nearly $10 million

It’s not pretty, many stu- dents say, and Georgia State University wants to demol- ish the old building.

But the cost to do so has gone up, nearly twice the initial estimate.

University officials dis- cussed the rising price tag to demolish Kell Hall, built in 1925, with the state’s Board of Regents on Tuesday. The total cost to demolish the building and remake it into green space is now nearly $10 million. The original cost estimate was about $5 million.

Georgia State officials said the reason for the higher estimate is the cost to relo- cate utility lines, which was higher than anticipated. Georgia State will pay for the cost increase. A Regents committee approved the revised demolition and plans for the space.

Kell Hall, located on Peachtree Center Avenue between Gilmer and Decatur streets in downtown Atlanta, was the first multistory garage in the city, offi- cials said. It was converted into academic space in 1946 but is now empty.

Georgia State wants to demolish Kell Hall and create a greenway, sidewalks and stairs between the surround- ing buildings and streets.

Many students are appar- ently eager to see the build- ing go. Georgia State President Mark Becker told the Regents committee, to laughter, that “the building being torn down was identified as the most detested and ugly on the campus by the students.”