Ferris State University’s Pennock Hall, the home of the Michigan College of Optometry before a new on-campus facility opened in January, is scheduled for demolition on Monday, June 6.
In preparation for the demolition of Pennock Hall, a security fence has been erected, and Pitsch Wrecking has commenced work to complete salvage from the building. Roger Bula, an environmental engineer for Ferris’ Physical Plant, estimates that the demolition of Pennock should take less than a week to complete. When demolished, the area will be converted into a lot to accommodate more than 70 additional parking spaces to serve Cramer Hall.
The six-story Pennock Hall was originally constructed as a residence hall in 1968. It was named after Ebon Pennock, who taught commercial subjects and served on the Ferris athletic board.
MCO, one of only 20 schools and colleges of optometry in the United States and the only one in the state of Michigan, moved into Pennock Hall in 1977. After more than three decades in Pennock, the college moved into a new, state-of-the-art facility that is located at 1124 South State Street in Big Rapids.
The groundbreaking ceremony for the new MCO building took place on May 8, 2009, and the facility officially opened on Jan. 10, 2011.