St. Thomas will raze five buildings on the north side of Grand Avenue between Cleveland and Cretin avenues in early August.
The buildings include houses at 2093, 2097, 2103 and 2167 Grand and an office building at 2117-2119 Grand. The house at 2167 Grand has been used for rental housing and the other buildings housed various offices, including the Muslim-Christian Dialogue Center (2093), the Jay Phillips Center for Interfaith Learning (2097) and Parking Services (2117).
Parking Services has moved to Murray-Herrick Campus Center and the Phillips and Muslim-Christian centers have moved to the St. Thomas-owned house at 2057 Portland Ave.
St. Thomas decided to raze the buildings because of their condition, the need for extensive renovation for any undetermined long-term use and an interest in providing more open space for the students housed on those blocks. The areas will be sodded, landscaped and used for green space.
A year ago, St. Thomas razed a house at 2091 Grand.