Robins Hall demolition continues

The possibility of Robins Hall at Newport Harbor High School crumbling during an earthquake has led to its ultimate destruction today, with the rest of the tower scheduled to be taken down at 8 a.m.

Contractors worked on weakening the building Wednesday night, and might continue this morning, Project Manager Craig Scaringi said.

A small portion of the fenced-off area will be open to the public, giving generations of the high school’s students one last look at the tower that has stood for nearly eight decades.

Newport-Mesa Unified School District closed Robins Hall in 2003 because it did not meet earthquake standards.

The cost to upgrade the building was simply too much, officials found. When voters passed Measure F in 2005, Robins Hall was near the top of the list of projects.

A new tower will be built in its place and is expected to resemble the original, taking into account the new structural standards. It’s anticipated it would take at least two years to build.

“The tower is basically standing on two legs,” Scaringi said Wednesday.

Contractors are planning to use a wrecking ball to chop the 100-foot bell tower down, perhaps the most visually arresting segment of the 100,000-square-foot building’s demise.

While the tower itself is a piece of history, within its walls were works of art equally remarkable.

Oil and water paintings dating back to the 1930s that were on display in Robins Hall have been moved to a storage house in Los Angeles, where they could remain until the new tower’s completion.

Newport Harbor High School is at 600 Irvine Ave., Newport Beach, and Robins Hall is on the southwest end of the campus.