The sign out front still reads “Computer Science” and “Food Science,” but the building has been vacant. Its new residents will move in this December.

In January, Withers Hall will be open to house three departments in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences — philosophy and religion, history and foreign languages and literatures.

According to Ken Pearce, associate director of construction management, the renovation of Withers Hall is on schedule for classes to be held in the building next semester.

He said the construction had a delay when it first started, but they have maintained the revised schedule and should not have any problem meeting the deadline.

Because Withers Hall originally had chemistry labs, it had to be completely decontaminated, according to Sammy Sams, project manager.

Sams said they completely gutted the building except the foyer at the Lampe Drive entrance. In the foyer, they “maintained much of the original wood and staircase,” he said.

The renovation put operable windows in all the exterior spaces.

“All of the windows were replaced,” Sams said.

The new windows have insulated glass and the frames are thermally broken to slow heat transfer, according to him.

The renovation not only focused on the interior of the building.

According to Sams, the bell on top of the building has been reactivated after laying dormant for “a number of years.”

“It is going to be timed to ring whenever the Bell Tower rings,” he said.

He said he has not heard it ring yet and has no idea whether the tone is pleasant or obnoxious.

To see the cage around the bell, he said to look up at the building from the Court of North Carolina.

The outside of Withers Hall looks completely different from the way it did before the renovation, according to Pearce.

To go from seeing the newly renovated outside to the inside after hours will require a card next semester.

Certain doors will have card access for people to use the building after hours, Sams said. The classrooms will have the most up-to-date technology the funds will allow.

David Auerbach, assistant professor of philosophy, said the offices will be wired for the Internet, and it will be nice to have classrooms with more technology.

Sams said the building does not have wireless Internet access, but may have it “fairly soon.”

When it comes to having everything the departments want, to what is in the contract and funding will provide, the whole process is compromise, balance and check, according to Pearce.

He said they “sometimes have some battles,” but they tend to get them worked out.

They have been able to do their “best with what [they] have to work with,” according to Sams.

“I’m relatively content,” Auerbach said about the building and move in general.

He is not looking forward to moving, though. He said they are moving during finals, so he is worried about students being able to find him when he is changing offices. However, he believes finals are a better time to move than during winter break.

People are moving into Withers Hall from Harrelson Hall, Winston Hall, Tompkins Hall, Caldwell Hall and the 1911 Building, according to Pearce.

One of Auerbach’s slight dissatisfactions is the size of the offices.

“A lot of us will end up with smaller offices,” he said.

But he said he is happy to be moving into a new building, especially with fresh paint that isn’t peeling off the walls. He said being on a different floor from the classrooms will be nice as well.

“It is an advantage for noise,” he said.

To provide students more access to the level with classrooms, the renovation included adding two new entrances.

The entrances are across from Ricks Hall and Daniels Hall, and go straight through the building, according to Sams. He said it should pick up a lot of pedestrian traffic.

“It will allow students to go directly to their classrooms,” Sams said.

One of the classrooms is large enough to seat about 300 people, according to him.

“It is intended to possibly be used as a stage for a limited amount of theatrical activities,” he said.

The room doesn’t have sophisticated lighting, but will be available for small theater-related things and as a classroom, according to Sams.

He said there was an accessibility issue in the auditorium, and they had to install a ramp to the side. The main aisles had too much of a slope to be considered accessible, so he said they installed the ramp with less of a slope and flat breaks every few feet.

Sams and Pearce said they are pleased with how it is turning out.

“The building looks great,” Pearce said.

Auerbach said the quality of the renovation is impressive and thinks his department is lucky to be moving into Withers because the architecture was done particularly well.

Sams said CHASS was a fabulous group to work with during this renovation.

“This is one of my best projects, if not the best,” he said.