Herring Hall Overhaul

The exterior of Herring Hall may look the same as it did when it housed the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Management, but work over the past two years has wrought many changes to the building’s interior—and purpose.

The $5.78 million renovation anchors the western end of the Humanities Corridor, which includes the Humanities Building, Rayzor Hall, and Sewall Hall.

Herring Hall had not been renovated since its construction in 1984. Cesar Pelli, the building’s original architect, reviewed and endorsed the Ray + Hollington design for the updating, which affected nearly all of the interior except for several support areas and the section that was the former business information center. Part of the floor plan was reconfigured to include a visual resource center, a sound booth, seminar rooms, and business areas for the English, art history, and linguistics departments as well as for the Center for the Study of Cultures.

Faculty and staff moved into Herring Hall in early January. “The renovated offices and their furnishings are beautiful and elegant, and the large windows are wonderful,” said Hamid Naficy, chair of the Department of Art History. “Being located in a humanities building is a definite plus.”

Gary Wihl, dean of humanities, says Herring Hall completes a massive improvement project for the School of Humanities initiated by then-president Malcolm Gillis. “Thanks to the great efforts of former dean Gale Stokes, our newest building is beautifully designed, with an upgraded room for the art history slide collection, seminar space for the Center for the Study of Cultures, and additional work space for graduate students,” he said. “I’m delighted that my colleagues in the departments of art history, linguistics, and English can now enjoy comfortable, modern space like their colleagues in Rayzor Hall and the Humanities Building.”

—Ellen Chang