photo by: Mike Yoder

University of Kansas students look on as demolition begins Friday, Dec. 7, 2018, on the Horejsi Family Athletics Center, home of KU volleyball.

The claw of the CAT excavator began its destructive work Friday morning, yanking apart the Horejsi Family Athletics Center, home of KU volleyball.

Pulling pieces of the 20-year-old building to the ground, the excavation crew from McPherson Wrecking of Topeka should only have a cement slab remaining by Monday afternoon at 1550 Allen Fieldhouse Drive, said Brad Nachtigal, associate athletic director for facilities with Kansas Athletics Inc.

Construction will follow right behind demolition. Gould Evans architects designed the new building and McCownGordon Construction of Kansas City, Mo., is the general contractor for the project. A new cement slab will be poured after underground utilities and infrastructure are in place, Nachtigal said.

The new building is expected to be ready by volleyball season in September.

The 30,000 square-foot venue will include one competition court and three practice courts. The venue will have 2,100 fixed seats and additional court/hospitality/standing room to accommodate 2,350. The facility being torn down Friday seated only 1,300 — and was completely sold out in recent years as the successful volleyball team attracted more and more fans.

The new building will also include about a 2,500-square-foot hospitality mezzanine overlooking center court with loge seating and direct connection to Allen Fieldhouse, according to Nachtigal.

The Horejsi family funded the first building, which cost $3.8 million, and is also funding the construction of the new building at $10 million. After graduating from KU in 1962, Stewart Horejsi returned home to Salina to take over his family’s welding supply company, according to Forbes, which lists his net worth at $1.9 billion.