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Welcome to The Turf Zone podcast. This episode bids farewell to Funchess Hall, where Auburn turfgrass grew its roots.

For many members of the Alabama Turfgrass Association, just hearing the name Funchess Hall brings back a flood of memories. Maybe it was hustling to class with a cup of coffee in hand, late-night study sessions before a soils exam, or learning turfgrass management from professors whose lessons still shape your career today. Funchess may never have won awards for beauty, but for generations of Auburn turfgrass students, it was something far more important — home.

Since 1961, Funchess Hall served as the heart of Auburn University’s Turfgrass Science program. Although the turfgrass program was already more than three decades old when the Department of Agronomy and Soils moved into the then-new Funchess Hall, over the next 65 years it grew into one of the South’s premier turfgrass education programs. Auburn graduates manage golf courses, athletic fields, sod farms and landscapes across Alabama and beyond. Inside those well-worn classrooms and laboratories, students learned everything from weed science and irrigation design to soil morphology and turfgrass pest control. More importantly, they built friendships, professional connections and memories that lasted long after graduation.

Now, the end of an era has arrived.

This summer, the Departments of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences, Horticulture, and Entomology and Plant Pathology are officially moving out of the “infamous” Funchess Hall and into Auburn University’s brand-new STEM + Agricultural Sciences Complex. As of late May, faculty and staff are packing decades’ worth of research data, teaching materials and Auburn history into boxes, preparing for a full transition by August 1st. Once renovations to Comer Hall are complete in Fall 2026, the demolition of Funchess Hall will be scheduled. Fittingly, the move is happening during the quiet of summer semester — one of the few times campus slows down enough to reflect on the past while preparing for the future.

And what a future it is.

Auburn’s new $224 million STEM + Agricultural Sciences Complex is a stunning 265,000-square-foot facility located at 305 W. Samford Ave (part of the former Hill Residence Hall site). The three interconnected buildings will house departments from both the College of Agriculture and the College of Sciences and Mathematics, creating opportunities for collaboration unlike ever before.

The new facility includes state-of-the-art research laboratories, modern teaching laboratories, collaborative student spaces, teaching gardens and even specialized research areas for aquatic animals and insects. For turfgrass students, it represents a major investment in the future of the industry and the continued growth of Auburn’s nationally respected program.

Of course, while the building may change, the Auburn Turfgrass Management program remains rooted in the same hands-on philosophy that makes it special in the first place. Students pursuing the Turfgrass Management track still earn a B.S. in Crop and Soil Science while gaining practical experience from internships and the Auburn Turfgrass Research Unit just a mile from campus. They’ll continue learning the science and management principles needed to become leaders in the turfgrass industry throughout the country. But now students will be based at one of the most advanced agricultural teaching facilities in the Southeast.

For alumni, there is a lot of nostalgia in saying goodbye to Funchess Hall. Those green tile walls, aging classrooms and scuffed floors told a story of hard work, tradition and learning. But Auburn has always been about more than bricks and mortar. The spirit of the turfgrass program — the people, the passion and the Auburn Family — is moving right along with it.

So while Funchess Hall may be a distant memory soon, its legacy will continue to grow in every superintendent, sports turf manager, researcher and industry professional who once called it home. And somewhere inside that shiny new building, another generation of Auburn turfgrass students is about to start making memories of their own.

The departments moving from Funchess Hall to the new buildings are planning a “Farewell to Funchess” celebration on campus during the fall 2026 semester. Watch alumni mailing lists and social media for more information as details are worked out.

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