What began life in 1951 as Kannâs Department Store, then in 1979 embarked on a second act as the nucleus of the Arlington campus of George Mason University, will not be making it to its 70th birthday. The building, which has not been in academic use for years, is slated to be demolished beginning in early March, according to university officials. The razing, long in the works, will free up space for a major new facility on the 4.8-acre parcel in the heart of Virginia Square. âDecommissioningâ of the Kannâs building has begun, university officials said, in preparation for its razing.