Hundreds of onlookers packed the hills and parking lots around Mississippi State University's Suttle Hall Wednesday afternoon as a wrecking ball brought down chunks of the 43-year-old building.
The crowd erupted with applause and pointed cameras at the former dormitory as the wrecking ball dropped repeatedly on the nine-story structure and brought down pieces of roofing, concrete, brick and rebar.
Among the onlookers was Gerald Berry, a former Mississippi State student and photography instructor. As a student, Berry lived in Hull Hall, but moved into Suttle Hall in January 1968 and stayed there until he graduated in May 1970.
"It was nice back then," Berry said. "It was neat to us because it had a suite arrangement - four rooms with two people in each and we shared a bath. We had come out of Hull dormitory with one big bath and one big shower, so it was real neat."
But over the years, Suttle Hall fell into disrepair. Onlookers Wednesday described the dorm in recent years as "rusty," "dirty" and "gross."
"Suttle Hall was the least favorite dorm for most of the students on campus," said Starkville Ward 4 Alderman Richard Corey, who lived there in 2004 as a Mississippi State student. "It was outdated, the elevators would sometimes get stuck ..."
But like many onlookers, Corey had fond memories of his time in Suttle Hall.
"The (Resident Assistants) were a good group and I had some friends living in there," Corey said.
Still, neither Berry nor Corey were sad to see demolition begin.
"I'm sure whatever goes in its place will be an improvement visually," Corey said.
The university is still deciding what will go on the piece of land where Suttle Hall now sits at the corner of Barr Avenue and George Patterson Street, said Ann Bailey, Mississippi State's director of housing and residence life. Bailey expects demolition to be complete by Aug. 1. She hopes all debris to be cleared from the site by Sept. 1.
Bricks from the structure will be available to the public once demolition is complete.
Like most others in attendance Wednesday, Bailey was thrilled to see the demolition of Suttle Hall begin.
"It has outlived its usefulness," Bailey said. "It has become an eyesore on campus. It's blocking a beautiful view from (nearby) Zacharias Village and we are wanting to expose that view, particularly of the chapel and football stadium, and we are going to be able to do that now when they remove Suttle."
Constructed in 1967, Suttle Hall was named for N.D. Suttle, a former professor of agronomy and head of the State Seed Testing Laboratory. The dormitory housed 599 students annually before closing after the 2006-2007 school year.
