Coleman Hall, a Lander dorm for nearly 30 years, will be torn down

By Dave Lorenzatti

The eight-story brick building is located on Hampton Avenue between West Cambridge Avenue and Merriman Street, about two blocks from Lander’s campus. It was more than 60 years ago as a garden-type apartment complex containing 50 units. Lander acquired the building in 1975 to provide much-needed housing for 117 students as the university’s enrollment grew.

The building was named Coleman Hall in honor of Dr. Maybelle Coleman, a Greenwood native and longtime Lander faculty member and academic dean. The university discontinued use of the building in January 2004, and it has been vacant since then.

TOA LLC, of Norcross, Ga., will handle the demolition work, which begins on April 15 and should take about three months to complete.

In an unrelated transaction, Lander has purchased the former TD Bank offices on Hampton Avenue, across from Coleman Hall. Ralph Patterson, vice president for University Advancement and executive director of The Lander Foundation, said the former bank will become The Lander Foundation and Alumni Center. Employees of the foundation and the Office of Alumni Affairs are scheduled to move into the building this summer.