Watch a timelaspe video of the Education Building demo. RYAN MEYER / University Relations
The School of Education Building on 14th Street South between University Boulevard and 10th Avenue has been demolished — the first step toward constructing the new Science and Engineering Complex, which will house the university’s basic sciences programs.
The Education Building was erected in 1973 as Building No. 1, one of the first buildings constructed, rather than acquired, on the UAB campus. Its next-door neighbor, Mervyn Sterne Library, also was built at the same time, as were Buildings No. 2 and 3 — the Chemistry and Humanities buildings, respectively.
During its nearly 50 years on campus, the Education Building once hosted general education courses such as mathematics and was home to the Instructional Research Center, which housed six computer terminals designated to provide tutorial assistance for classes in algebra and genetics. The terminals were part of a pilot project managed by the UAB Division of Special Studies, which oversaw credit and non-credit education, certificate, mini-term, weekend and youth programs and is believed to have been the first program of its kind offered in the Southeast.
Images from the UAB Archives; bottom left by STEVE WOOD / University Relations
Clockwise: The Instructional Research Center in 1978; Building No. 1 and Sterne Library at dusk in 1973; sunrise over Building No. 1 on the first day of fall, 1978; the building pictured in 1977, 1980 and 2009, respectively; the May 1973 dedication ceremony for Buildings No. 1, 2 and 3.
The School of Education vacated the building in 2020, moving to the Education and Engineering Complex (EEC) on 10th Avenue South at 11th Street into a wing formerly occupied by the Collat School of Business. Demolition on the Education Building, beginning with the interior and proceeding outward, started this spring.
In addition to serving as a learning hub for students for decades, the Education Building also was home to one of UAB’s legacy trees: a 48-year-old Japanese maple believed to have been planted during the building’s construction. The tree was relocated earlier this year and now is thriving in its new home at the Alumni House.
“As one of UAB’s oldest constructed buildings, the Education Building will always hold a special place in our history,” says Michelle Robinson, D.M.D., interim dean for the School of Education. “Now that its chapter has come to a close and the School of Education has a newly renovated space in which to learn and grow, we continue to be excited about the future of educational facilities on our campus.”
Click through to see photos of the School of Education’s new space in EEC.
The new Science and Engineering Complex will feature collaboration rooms to foster a team-learning environment and research labs that allow for student shadowing and project-based research. Completion is anticipated in 2023.
Watch a short video to learn more about the complex.
