PROVO — BYU’s aging administration building is officially getting a facelift.
The university announced this week it has approved plans to rebuild the existing Abraham O. Smoot Administration Building, which was scheduled to be demolished by the end of the year.
The new building will house offices for BYU’s central administrative and student services, which include offices such as admissions, scholarships, registration, legal, housing, communications, employment and university leadership, according to a news release.
A rendering of a new administration building at Brigham Young University, to be constructed after the current Abraham O. Smoot Administration Building is demolished. The university’s Board of Trustees announced on Thursday that it has approved plans for construction. (Photo: Brigham Young University)
“While the ASB served the BYU community well for decades,” said Steve Hafen, administration vice president and chief financial officer, in a statement from the school, “this new facility is a strategic investment that will help further strengthen the student experience by efficiently assisting in enrollment, housing, financial aid and other student services.”
The building, built in 1961, was already scheduled for demolition by the end of 2025. Many employees had already begun moving into the newly acquired BYU East campus — a land swap with the Provo School District that moved the old Wasatch Elementary from its long-time home at 1080 N. 900 East to a new $44 million school on Locust Lane in January.
Some presidents’ offices and senior staff will also temporarily relocate to the Gordon B. Hinckley Alumni and Visitors Center, university officials told KSL-TV this summer.
The new administrative building is scheduled to be completed and ready to occupy by the fall semester of 2028, BYU said.
