Photo courtesy of Finance and Commerce

Wesbrook Hall may not get a chance to celebrate its 114th birthday.

According to an article from Finance and Commerce, the Pleasant Street building will likely be razed in time for the opening of the Central Corridor light rail in 2014. Pleasant Street will become a major bus route for light rail riders, and the Wesbrook land will be used as a waiting space.

The Board of Regents will consider in May whether to demolish Wesbrook and the Veterinary Anatomy building on St. Paul Campus. The company charged with renovating Northrop Auditorium has been retained to tear it down, pending the Board’s approval.

Wesbrook’s yellowish-tan bricks stand out in the sea of dark red that dominates campus. The idea of demolishing the building goes back as far as the redesign of campus in 1910, University senior architect Jim Litsheim said. Wesbrook was built in 1898.

Just west of Northrop Auditorium, the building is  home to the Department of Writing, English as a second language services and various student organizations.

The Veterinary Anatomy building has been closed since 1996 due to structural concerns.