Final photos: South Quad at the University of Iowa

IOWA CITY, Iowa — A hole replaces decades of history on the University of Iowa campus as students return for the start of classes this week.

South Quadrangle, 310 S. Grand Ave., a former residence hall located behind Slater Hall on the west side of campus, was demolished this summer to make way for a new academic building.

The two-story, L-shaped red brick building was razed at a cost of $1.4 million, according to university figures, as part of its 10-year facilities master plan.

Demolition of the nearby Pride Alliance Center, 125 Grand Ave. Ct., built in 1922, is also part of the facilities master plan, to be used for parking.

South Quad, built by the Navy in 1942 as a pre-flight training facility, was turned over to the University of Iowa after World War II for use as a men’s dormitory, housing just over 100 students compared to several hundred in nearby Quadrangle — also since demolished — and Hillcrest residence halls, with more than 800.

Luminaries such as Heisman trophy winner Nile Kinnick, astronaut John Glenn and flying ace Chuck Yeager are said to have passed through its doors during the Navy era, though that history is murky.

Without citing any research, University of Iowa officials stated that South Quad had no historical significance as plans were formulated for its demolition.

After its time as a men’s-only dorm, South Quad became a co-ed residence hall, which lasted through the mid-1980s, until being used in more recent years as office space for the UI Public Policy Center, the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps and other departments.

Army ROTC Recruiting Operations Officer Tony Wolf and Lt. Col. Matthew Youmans, professor of aerospace studies, were among South Quad’s last office occupants.

See final photos of The Mill in Iowa City and more from the final days of South Quad, below: