Submitted by FAMU Public Relations
Florida A&M University’s Truth Hall women’s residence is scheduled for demolition. The cleared area near the Will Packer Performing Arts Amphitheater will become green space.
As part of the project, safety construction fencing was being installed Tuesday, February 8. The asphalt parking lot southeast of Lee Hall will be closed to facilitate the work, which is estimated to be completed by late May, according to the Facilities, Planning and Construction Department.
Truth Hall is a four-story, 32,000-square-foot building with brick veneer housing for upper-class female students. Rooms were double occupancy on a double- loaded corridor with community baths on each floor. Common areas included a lobby, laundry facility, study room, and computer lab.
Constructed in 1958 and renovated in 1988, Truth Hall could house as many as 106 students. The building last accommodated students in September-October 2020 but became vacant when, because of low housing occupancy due to the COVID-19 pandemic, students were relocated to the Paddyfote Complex, said Jennifer Wilder Ed.D., director Office of University Housing. Paddyfote was demolished in 2021.
According to an engineering report, Truth Hall was plagued by a long list of deficiencies and needed a major overhaul. Water penetrated the exterior shell of the building through leaking gutters and downspouts, deteriorating windows, and clogged drainage piping in basement window wells allowing standing water to penetrate the masonry walls. Without a complete renovation of the exterior building systems, the facility would have become uninhabitable.
Other deficiencies included an unsatisfactory HVAC system, deteriorating piping and plumbing systems, insufficient electrical systems, a pool kitchen facility, inadequate fire sprinkler protection, and asbestos floor tiles. The building does not comply with ADA requirements, the report concluded.