Hughes Auditorium steps

For reasons I was not quite able to understand, a recent graduating class of my alma mater gave new steps for Hughes Auditorium as their class gift. Yesterday, I was rather startled to observe that the steps were GONE. So, apparently, when they said new steps, they meant entirely new steps, not just a repair job.

I was also interested to note that there was a large amount of open space that has been hiding behind the steps for the last 100 years or so. I wonder what kind of delightful critters have been holed up in there.