By: Kristine Pascual and Lena Moreno, March 4, 2025
The $9 million demolition project has officially begun, in accordance with the Chancellor’s Office, to remove the abandoned Palmitas and Cedritos residential halls, La Cienega Center and the Los Olivos Commons, as a part of the California State University Five-Year Plan to remove structures built on the active earthquake fault.
The demolition of the building completed in 1968 and site restoration, according to the CSU Five-Year Plan, will be funded with student housing reserves and Statewide Revenue Bonds.
The Secoya and Sicomoro residential halls were built as replacement dorms for Palmitas and Cedritos, while the new dining facility the Centerpointe was built to replace Los Olivos Commons, until the COVID-19 pandemic put demolition plans to a staggering pause. The setback resulted in years of neglect for the facilities, while the newest dorms stood tall with eight floors to keep housing procedures steadily available for students.
While they were in operation, the aging residence halls and commons had issues with heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and hazardous materials like asbestos.
Bruyn Bevans, the senior project manager in Facilities Design and Construction, manages the demolition of these buildings and ensures every worker involved, and the university’s safety, is his top priority.
“Our job is to make sure our contractors work safely,” Bevans said. “They have all the proper equipment and proper safety. They’re protecting our campus community from any of the activities.”
Fencing contractors barricaded the front of each building Feb. 24. Soft demolition, also known as non-structure removal, is the next scheduled step for mid-April once the bidding phase and budgets are finalized by March 20.
Bevans said once the interior demo is completed, a hard demolition will take place right after dorm moveouts and commencements. The demolition of the buildings will take the entire summer to complete and is expected to be cleared before the fall semester.
According to the current phase of the masterplan, Bevans said buildings will not replace the demolished site as the campus community has presumed. Instead, he would like to turn the site into an open green-space area with potential refurbishments to the turtle pond, depending on what’s left of the budget.
“That’s one of the reasons we do it,” Bevans said. “To give the students that availability and give them places that are relatively close but secluded at the same time that allows them to pull away from the hostile bustles of classes into a quiet zone.”
Bevans said he hopes renovating the pond and the addition of chairs, tables, umbrellas and Wi-Fi access on campus will be a new spot for students to find outdoor solace on campus.
“My desire is to have interdisciplinary factions of students who work in different departments or have different majors to give them an opportunity to come together and learn about other areas,” Bevans said.
For students, it is sad to see another historical piece of Cal Poly Pomona get taken down. Former students look back at the Palmitas and Cedritos residential halls with nostalgia, noting the unique, Brutalist architectural style and distinct pentagon shape. Alumnus and former Cedritos Hall residential adviser Robert Conway (’05, psychology) saw the geometric buildings as a significant part of CPP’s campus identity.
“I always thought Palmitas and Cedritos were architecturally unique,” Conway said. “It wasn’t a generic box like the red bricks are. (Palmitas and Cedritos) were this strange, unique architectural marvel.”
Following the demolition of the dorms, Conway hopes CPP will create more housing options that can help improve the social environment on campus.
“I’m sad to hear that the dorms are coming down, but I hope the school replaces it with uniquely designed buildings that pay homage to the history of the unique architectural styles,” Conway said.
Alumna Maddie Do (’24, political science), a former resident of Palmitas Hall, also reminisced about her time in the dorms. Despite the “horrible” plumbing and five-cornered rooms, Do said she felt she had a true college experience living there.
“Palmitas was unique because of the forced proximity,” Do said. “On my floor, everyone was a STEM (student), so people were able to bond and talk about classes.”
Do appreciated the dorm’s proximity to Building 9, making it easy to roll out of bed minutes before class. Though she said she’s sad to see Palmitas Hall go, Do sees the demolition as an opportunity to create more parking.
“More parking should be the priority,” Do said. “It’s not our fault the school failed us in that aspect.”
As the soft demolition process progresses, it will not disturb the neighboring traditional hall residents, as this is the quietest portion of the construction procedure. The facilities team structured the demo plans accordingly to accommodate with campus plans and to the respect of the surrounding community.
Featured Image courtesy of Ryan Fogg
