Humanities and Social Sciences Building

The Humanities and Social Sciences Building is the classroom part of a complex designed by Painter, Weeks, McCarty and dedicated in 1968. The project won a first prize for design of college academic buildings for its separation of instructional facilities from faculty offices, linking them with an overpass, and provision of an outdoor plaza area for gathering. An underground parking garage for faculty whose offices were in the tower was also provided as part of the $4.7 million project. Contractor for the project was Rentenbach Engineering. The complex was originally planned to have two twelve-story towers and three four-story classroom buildings.

An elevator was installed in 1983 with funds provided by the state to make buildings accessible to the handicapped. From 1984 to 1987, one floor of HSS was used for relocation of services from the John C. Hodges Undergraduate Library while that building was expanded into the present John C. Hodges Library. In the summers of 2010 and 2011, the building was out of service while the HVAC systems and lighting were upgraded, but the Music Library, relocated to HSS during the construction of the Natalie L. Haslam Music Center, provided services to its patrons.

A full-scale upgrade of classrooms and introduction of spaces to make the building a learning community was undertaken in spring and summer of 2012. In this upgrading, flooring was replaced, bright paint colors were used throughout the building, and classrooms were outfitted with brightly-colored, flexible rolling chairs, mat-ceramic boards, and smartboards for smaller classrooms. Small commons areas were created on the first and second floors with seating, charging stations, and printers. A food facility was installed by ARAMARK on the ground floor, and outside seating was provided adjacent to the food facility.

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The following information is provided for citations.

  • Title Humanities and Social Sciences Building
  • Author
  • Keywords Humanities and Social Sciences Building
  • Website Name Volopedia
  • Publisher University of Tennessee Libraries
  • URL
  • Access Date May 14, 2025
  • Original Published Date
  • Date of Last Update October 8, 2018