NC State to demolish contaminated Poe Hall. Work will start this week
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- NC State will begin Poe Hall abatement and demolition preparations after EPA approval.
- Poe Hall is reportedly full of PCBs and was shut down in 2023 amid health concerns.
- Former occupants have sued NC State and Monsanto over illnesses linked to Poe Hall.
NC State University plans to demolish Poe Hall after receiving approval to do so from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the university announced Friday.
Poe Hall, the campus building that once housed the university’s education department, was built with harmful chemicals known as PCBs — and former occupants of the building say that concentration is the cause of their cancer.
The university says to expect to see fencing go up around the building as early as this week as it prepares for “Poe Hall’s abatement and eventual demolition.”
“The timing of this next phase of work was determined by the construction planning process, submission and subsequent EPA approval of our work plan and the preference to reduce disruptions to our academic calendar,” reads a statement from Jim Pfaendtner, executive vice chancellor and provost, and Charles Maimone, executive vice chancellor for finance and administration.
The building was shut down in 2023.
Earlier this year, a federal investigation confirmed elevated levels of certain types of cancer among former employees and students, but researchers couldn’t say for certain whether the PCBs they found in the building were the cause.
Multiple lawsuits surrounding Poe Hall are currently active. A group of 12 sickened people who once worked or studied in the building have sued both the university and the chemical company Monsanto, which originally developed PCBs. That group includes three deceased people whose estates are involved in the lawsuit. The university has also sued Monsanto.
Former student and employee Sandra Alford — who is a member of the group of sick plaintiffs — filed a petition suggesting that NC State’s initial plan to remediate and renovate the building may have amounted to destruction of evidence.
NC State says that following the demolition, the university plans to construct a new building for the College of Education. Updates will be shared on its dedicated Poe Hall webpage.
This story was originally published June 1, 2026 at 10:07 AM.
