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The University of Portland is moving ahead with plans to demolish Howard Hall, a former recreation center dating to 1928, and build a new academic building in its place.

The new building will be named for donors Amy Dundon-Berchtold and Jim Berchtold; classrooms and faculty offices are in the works.

The planned site for the academic facility is occupied by Howard Hall, which housed a basketball gym, a weight room and a swimming pool. The building also hosted graduations for many years. Students’ recreation needs are now met by the 72,000-square-foot Beauchamp Recreation & Wellness Center, which was completed in August 2015.

Some valuable Howard Hall materials, such as large wooden beams and the wooden basketball court, will be salvaged, said Paul Luty, director of facilities planning and construction. The concrete walls will likely be crushed for reuse in the new building. Howard Hall has little historical value, he added.

Soderstrom Architects is designing the new building, in partnership with a New York-based firm, Luty said. Details remain to be determined.

鈥淲e’re in the early schematic design phase,鈥� university spokeswoman Beth Sorensen said.

The project has not yet gone to bid. The project will likely be presented to select bidders once it advances beyond the design phase, Luty said. The university in the past has worked well with contractors including Skanska, Turner Construction Co., Todd Construction Inc. and Fortis Construction Inc., he said.

Also on campus, the university recently opened Lund Family Hall, a 113-room coed residence hall. Students moved into one portion of the building last month, while completion of the other portion is expected by mid-October, Luty said.