Sept. 5, 2003

University Set To Raze Old Hospital

Project Scheduled to be Completed by Early December

By Thomas Kohout

The George Washington University is set to begin demolition of the old hospital Sept. 8 pending final approval of the University’s permit. Led by Sigal Construction and local demolition contractor Wrecking Corp. of America, GW will raze the 55-year-old facility over a 90-day period, aiming to complete work by mid-December.

“It’s a two-step procedure to receive a permit for demolition from the District of Columbia,” explained Arthur Bean, director of construction programs. “The first step is permission to start making the disconnections. Once those have been made and signed off on by the representing utilities, then you are granted the second part of the permit and demolition can begin.”

Bean explained that the University began work disconnecting the building’s utilities and removing any potentially hazardous materials after receiving the first part of the demolition permit last February. Verizon is the last company left to sign off, and, said Bean, that is simply a matter of cutting off the wires and terminating the service.

Demolition crews will work from 7 am-7 pm, Monday through Saturday, using a crane-operated wrecking ball, as well as a “claw” to pull the building apart. An on-site processing machine will separate the steel and break up the large chunks of concrete and stone. The steel will be sent off to be recycled and the concrete and stone will be reused as aggregate. Much of the processed concrete and stone, however, will remain on site to be used to fill the hole.

“This is a recycling process not a dumping process,” Bean said. He estimated that by processing the building debris GW will save as much as $1.5 million while limiting the amount of rubble to be hauled away.

Sidewalks along the east side of 22nd Street and the north side of Eye Street will be closed to pedestrians as demolition begins along the northeast corner by the intersection of 23rd Street and Washington Circle. Crews will gradually work their way toward the corner of 23rd and Eye streets, using the existing loading docks to remove the debris. Trucks will haul portions of the processed concrete, stone and steel rubble north on 23rd Street to Washington Circle, southeast on Pennsylvania Avenue, south on 19th Street, across Constitution Avenue and over the 14th Street Bridge into Virginia, following a route arranged with the city to ensure the safest and quickest exit.

Decisions regarding parking around the work site will remain in the hands of city officials. Bean does expect temporary lane closures at various points during the demolition, but those are expected to be for brief periods during non-rush hour times.

“Along 22nd Street the hospital extends very close to the street,” Bean said, “so crews will close the sidewalks and temporarily block off a lane to reduce the chance of an accident. As crews get closer to the edge of the property they will use the claw rather than the wrecking ball to minimize the debris falling.”

After demolition is complete, crews will crack the foundation to allow for drainage; processed concrete and stone will be used to fill the hole. The lot will be graded to slope toward the corner of 23rd and Eye streets to guide water run-off into an existing storm drain. The inlet will be protected to prevent clogging by debris.

A 6-foot-high temporary wooden fence will be erected along 23rd Street and Pennsylvania Avenue. The fence will go up after demolition is completed and will remain in place until a new facility is built. The fence initially will be painted white, but according to Roger Lyons, executive director, facilities development, there are plans for the art department to open decoration of the fence to a student design competition, with winners chosen internally. Along 22nd and Eye streets there will be a chain link fence.

A decision about the hospital’s replacement is still pending according to Charles Barber, senior counsel, Office of the Vice President and General Counsel.

“We are still considering our options,” said Barber. “Our best estimate is that it would be some sort of multi-use facility, but we haven’t had any more specific planning on that.”

Send feedback to: bygeorge@gwu.edu

Related Link

GW Campus Advisories