The former home of the cafeteria, Nordic Lounge and Nordic Cup was leveled, completing its above-ground demolition on Saturday with a groundbreaking ceremony scheduled later this month.
The E Building has been fenced off since July, and has been closed since the fall of 2022 following the cafeteria’s closure.
The last stretch of the above-ground demolitions began on Oct. 30 with excavators using concrete busters to tear down the remaining walls, with nearby students and staff watching the crumbling structure fall to the ground.
An excavator with a concrete buster attachment tears down a wall of the LAC E Building on Oct. 31. (Diosa Hippolyta)
Concerns about possible asbestos exposure were addressed by Senior Project Manager Brian Watt, following an abatement process to clear walls of asbestos and clean off lead paint.
“The asbestos material and lead paint were removed on an earlier project prior to demolition,” Watt said.
By Saturday, only four steel pillars remained, with the site being hosed down by water to reduce the dust kicked up by the rubble.
Construction worker Frank Torres, left, looks over the last four stell pillars of the LAC E Building with his father and Site Supervisor Carlos Torres on Saturday. The next few weeks will see the demolition of the basement and the grading of the site for the new Student Center. (Diosa Hippolyta)
“I see old history being demolished and new history being started,” Horticulture student Sebastian Lockett said.
According to an update to LBCC’s 2041 Facilities Master Plan, Building E was originally scheduled for renovation, but became slated for full demolition in the update.
An air conditioning unit and old satellite dish left standing on the partial remains of the LAC E Building after weeks of demolition work on Oct. 30. (Diosa Hippolyta)
The new College Center will house food services, student activities and multi-purpose rooms for students according to the 2024 Master Plan
The basement is currently being dug up and will be filled to accommodate for the new building.
“We are done with the ground level demolition and beginning the basement demolition and in a few weeks we will begin the dirt and grading operation to fill in the basement area,” Site Supervisor Carlos Torres said.
Construction worker Jayme Garcia hoses down the rubble of LAC’s E Building on Saturday. The basement will also be dug out of the ground and filled with dirt. (Diosa Hippolyta)
For now, the remains of the rubble of the basement will be cleaned off of the site.
“In the next few weeks you will see hauling trucks removing debris to the proper disposal facilities, but not too much activity,” Assistant Construction Manager Siddhant Somani said.
A groundbreaking ceremony for the new Student Center is scheduled for Nov. 19 at 9 a.m. located where the original E building was.
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