Radio tower being relocated from UA’s Reese Phifer building after nearly 60 years

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ( WIAT ) — A towering staple of the University of Alabama’s campus skyline is being moved, which caused a building to temporarily be evacuated Tuesday.

The radio tower behind Reese Phifer Hall, which was first erected in 1955, is being taken down and moved to the UA Police Department on Campus Drive East. However, the building was evacuated on Tuesday after a portion of the tower began leaning “further than expected,” UA Public Safety released in a statement .

The news was first reported by local media outlet Tuscaloosa Thread .

The project started earlier this spring due to the age and type of tower, which owner Alabama Public Television is responsible for maintaining.

“Due to the age and type of the tower, recurring maintenance is required and APT is dependent on state funding and limited donations to maintain the tower,” a summary of the project stated.

The location in the core of campus is not optimal.

Project managers have maintained that moving the tower will greatly improve the aesthetics of Reese Phifer’s common grounds, as well as the general area.

No end date for the project has been announced.

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