Demolition of Furman’s Blackwell Hall begins

The mechanical jaws of an excavator snarled Monday morning as they bit through the exterior brick walls of Blackwell Hall at Furman University.

Since welcoming its first class in 1967, Blackwell Hall has been a signature landmark on Furman’s campus. The work to demolish the 188-bed residence is part of the renovation of South Housing, where most first-year students live.

When Harper General Contractors finish demolishing the building, in about a month, the area where it stood will be landscaped and turned into recreational and green gathering spaces. Lawns and ample seating will offer space to study or spend time with friends, while basketball and pickleball courts will offer options for staying active.

This courtyard and the other renovations to the South Housing complex are designed to create a more engaging environment for students, said Ron Thompson, associate dean of students and director of Housing and Residence Life.

Excavators equipped with specialized buckets and jack hammer attachments began tearing down the 58-year-old Blackwell Hall on July 14, 2025. Photo by Nathan Gray, Furman University.

Blackwell Hall was named for Furman’s eighth president, Gordon Williams Blackwell ’32, who served from 1965 to 1976. During his tenure, he championed integration and women’s rights.

Blackwell Hall has been home to more than 10,000 Furman students, but very few of them were taller than 6-feet 3-inches. A quirk of the dorm: Sleeping spaces were wedged into alcoves that couldn’t accommodate longer beds, meaning taller students had to live elsewhere on campus, Thompson said. It originally housed only male students; starting the 1990s men and women called Blackwell home.

Thompson said the landscaping for the recreational courtyard should be finished before students move back in the fall.

As excavators tore bricks to the ground Monday from one end of Blackwell, crews were bringing new furniture into the recently renovated Manly and Geer halls as part of the broader South Housing renovation project. This included the renovation of Poteat and McGlothlin halls last fall and the construction of a new residence hall which opened as Lakeview Hall in 2024. With additional renovations to the apartment buildings in the North Village, Thompson said “all Furman students, not just first-year students, will be living in either new or renovated spaces” this fall.

Though the building that housed so many Furman students will be gone, President Blackwell’s legacy will remain. Lakeview Hall was renamed Blackwell Hall earlier this year to continue honoring his legacy.

“We’re just excited to see students move in this fall and live their lives in these spaces,” Thompson said.