[FONT=Verdana]Rosen House, a Tulane University residence hall that has loomed over South Claiborne Avenue since 1959, is scheduled to come down the week of Aug. 21. [/FONT]
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[FONT=Verdana]Because the demolition will be done with a wrecking ball instead of an implosion, the process will take several days, Tulane spokeswoman Debbie Grant said, adding that workers will start preparing the site the week of Aug. 14. [/FONT]
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[FONT=Verdana]The building, which has 168 units, was built for graduate students, married students and students with families. It was home to many foreign students. [/FONT]
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[FONT=Verdana]The prospect of its demolition had been discussed for years, and it has not been occupied since residents were evacuated before Hurricane Katrina struck last year, Grant said. [/FONT]
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[FONT=Verdana]"The building was past its prime, and it was damaged in Katrina," she said. [/FONT]
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[FONT=Verdana]"It would have cost too much to repair." [/FONT]
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[FONT=Verdana]After debris is hauled away -- a process that could take as long as five months -- the spot will become a parking lot until a permanent plan for the space is devised, Grant said. [/FONT]
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[FONT=Verdana]The building is named for Charles Rosen, a Tulane graduate who was 1903-04 president of the Alumni Association. According to university records, Rosen, a lawyer, was a member of Tulane's Board of Administrators (now the Board of Tulane) from 1904 to 1954. [/FONT]