The old Chemistry Building at UW-Milwaukee is being demolished and redeveloped into a greenspace with other unique features to benefit students.
UWM is a campus with many buildings close together, and this greenspace is intended to provide breathing space.
This project comes after a new Chemistry Building was constructed to replace the previous structure, which failed to meet code requirements for a science lab facility.
The university did an analysis on the old building to consider it for reassignment, but renovations would be too high because major building systems are past their working life.
The building was originally built in 1972 and has always served as the UWM Chemistry Building.
The systems in need of renovation, including safety, mechanical, electrical and plumbing, would exceed 75 percent of the building’s value, according to campus architect Karen Wolfert.
“When we took down the Kunckle building, which is where the chemistry building is now, we had a really big green space,” Wolfert said. “Students really enjoyed just having some space to throw a frisbee, football or just to enjoy some time on the lawn.”
Demolition of the old Chemistry Building will reduce UWM’s building area and operation costs.
The quad greenspace will be developed as an oval lawn, which can be used for outdoor teaching and casual activities.
“I think that the oval-shaped greenspace is really going to be an asset for everybody because it’s going to be easily identifiable,” Wolfert said. “People might want to say, ‘Hey, meet me at the Oval.’ We’ll see what happens as it develops, but you know, people say, ‘Meet me at Spaights,’ and that has a name for a whole different reason. This one has the shape of the space, which I think will make it easily identifiable.”
This space will include features as decided by an integrated design process, which involves collaboration between people in the departments of Athletics, Lapham Hall, Geosciences, Engineering, Biology, the Greenhouse and UWM landscaping. These features will be extensions of the surrounding architecture.
The UWM Geosciences Department will get a geology specimen garden for student learning.
The College of Engineering and Applied Sciences gains some outdoor garage space for student projects.
Bioswales will be added, which will expand the sustainable green areas of the campus. A bioswale is a channel of mulch and vegetation designed to remove pollution from stormwater runoff.
The redevelopment plans include an extension of Englemann Stadium with new run-off space for the field, a permanent place for team shelters and technical space for press.
The pedestrian walking paths and fire lanes will be extended through the space and connect with pathways already existing between the old and new buildings.
All of the above features will come together at the same time and be complete when the site is reopened.
Demolition began in July 2025 and will continue through May 2026, with site redevelopment plans to occur from July 2026 through August 2027.
Timeline
- July to December 2025: Identifying, containing and removing hazardous material. Construction of access roadway for demolition.
- December 2025 to May 2026: Demolition of the building.
- July 2026 to August 2027: Redevelopment of the site into the greenspace.
Students and staff can expect to take longer routes than they did in the past, as there is a perimeter fence around the building for safety reasons.
Possible rerouting options include going around the soccer field on the north side, Lapham Hall on the west side, and the EMS Building on the east side.
Contractors began by removing hazardous materials from the building, and then anything anchored to the building itself, from cabinets to ventilation ductwork, was thrown out the building’s windows.
After those steps are completed, heavy equipment is brought to begin demolishing the building. This step will not happen until winter begins, when most people are inside with closed windows, and there is less worry of sound or dust disturbing the public.