The demolition of Laws Hall, one of MU’s oldest residence halls, began Monday as part of a construction project that has been in the works since 2001.

The process is expected to take five weeks and marks another step toward the completion of the Residential Life Master Plan.

[According to Residential Life’s website](https://reslife.missouri.edu/rlmp/history/), the RLMP began with the construction of buildings on Virginia Avenue in 2004 and has since included a series of demolitions and renovations, all of which are funded with money from residents rather than the public.

Both Laws and Lathrop Hall, which were built in 1957, closed ahead of schedule last fall in response to decreased enrollment. These halls were previously the cheapest options for students choosing to live on campus, [according to previous Maneater reporting](https://www.themaneater.com/stories/2016/3/15/laws-and-lathrop-halls-close-201617-following-enro/).

Because the RLMP budget depends on fees from students, an enrollment decline could affect future developments. However, concrete action has not been taken and ResLife will continue to monitor the situation, MU spokesman Christian Basi said in an email.

“Residential Life is keeping a close watch on our enrollment and will be making decisions as that information solidifies,” Basi said.

Replacing Laws and Lathrop are two new residence halls and a new dining location called The Restaurants at Southwest, which will feature a la carte options. Brooks Hall opened last fall, while the other hall has yet to receive a name but is accepting contracts for the 2017-18 school year.

_Edited by Madi McVan | mmcvan@themaneater.com_