To make room for a new residence hall, Ball State University will begin demolition work on eight homes owned by the university on the northeast side of campus.

Six houses on Marsh Street and two houses on the north side of Neely Avenue are slated to come down as part of this first stage of demolition work, Ball State officials have said.

In total, about 20 homes will be demolished in the months ahead as crews prepare the area for construction of North Residence Hall. A $43.5 million project, the new residence hall will house 600 students in double-occupancy rooms with semi-private baths when completed in 2010.

The state approved the project last winter, along with a $14.5 million renovation to the university's Student Center and repair and rehabilitation projects totaling $4 million. To pay for the projects, Ball State will use funding from residence hall proceeds, room-and-board charges and dedicated student fees.

Of the homes coming down, some were owned by the university and some were recently purchased, said Greg Graham, Ball State's interim director of facilities planning.

Graham declined to provide addresses for the properties, saying he was hesitant to do so for fear of pilfering.

The school official said not all of the properties could be demolished at this time because some are still in use by the university and others still are in negotiation for purchase.

Once finished, North Residence Hall will join Park Hall, a 512-student residence hall slated to open this fall, as the two newest housing facilities available to students on campus. The new complexes are expected to replace housing needs from when the university's largest living quarters, LaFollette Complex, is demolished, likely within the next six to 10 years, said Tom Morrison, Ball State's associate vice president for human resources and state relations.

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