After four years of sitting in limbo, the decision to demolish the historic Freeborn Hall at UC Davis has finally been made.

Interim vice chancellor of Student Affairs Emily Galindo told The Enterprise on Monday, “We are absolutely committed to all of the student programs that are currently housed there, as well as the staff. We want to work with them to find the best and most suitable places to relocate to.”

The student programs Galindo is referring to — things like the California Aggie newspaper, KDVS radio station and The Pantry — have been occupying space in the 12,000 square foot basement of Freeborn, which w

“While the overall project cost for the renovation and seismic corrections of the entire existing (Freeborn Hall) facility was approaching $37 million,” Carroll said, “the $10-12 million cost was the budgeted amount to complete a smaller renovation for the relocation of those current occupants in the lower level of Freeborn only.”

Carroll continued, “As a direct comparison, the average new office or classroom space on campus will have a project cost approximately 30 percent to 50 percent more than a renovation, depending greatly on the quality and age of the building being renovated, the existing deferred maintenance requirements and the cost to temporarily relocate the current occupants.” Thus, if the ultimate decision to replace Freeborn with a brand new version that was comparable in size and function, the cost would be between $48-$55.5