J-House comes down to make way for new building

Jamestown College celebrated Wednesday as the J-House was demolished to make way for the new McKenna-Thielsch Center, a state-of-the art laboratory building for the science and nursing departments.

President Badal takes one of the first swings at the J-House

Named for lead donor Margaret (McKenna) Thielsch, a member of the class of 1943, the 20,500 square foot McKenna-Thielsch Center will open in the Fall of 2013. The second phase of the project calls for the complete renovation of Orlady Hall, the College’s existing science building.

The official groundbreaking ceremony will take place in early May.

The J-House was built during World War II by the federal government as housing for Air Force cadets who were training on the Jamestown College campus at the time. The government declared it surplus, and it was given to the College in 1946 when it became a temporary dormitory for 50 men. In recent years, the building has been used for cold storage.