The University of New Mexico has announced plans to demolish the College of Education building on its Albuquerque campus.
The university says the building will be vacated by June 2023, and an inventory of the property within the building will be conducted to facilitate the removal of furniture, fixtures, and equipment for reuse prior to demolition.
The decision to demolish the building is based on a comprehensive assessment report conducted in 2022, which estimated that it would cost over $7.2 million to repair, restore, and address significant facility failures.
The construction cost of a new building with similar spaces was estimated to be just over $11 million. Considering the surplus of classroom space available across campus and the identified facility deficiencies, the decision was made to demolish the building.
The site will be transformed into a functional green space or a future development site, depending on the outcome of the ongoing Integrated Campus Plan. The interim functional green space will connect nearby pedestrian and landscaped areas.
