College of Human Sciences celebrates topping-out of new academic home

"There is something powerful about seeing the final beam raised into place. It represents progress — it also represents possibility. This building is taking shape before our eyes, and with it, so is the future,” said College of Human Sciences Dean Susan Hubbard. “Today’s topping-out ceremony marks an important milestone in the construction of our new home, but more importantly, it represents the beginning of what will happen inside these walls — the learning, discovery, collaboration and innovation that will shape the future of Human Sciences at Auburn.”

The active construction site located at 261 Mell Street no longer shows evidence of where Spidle Hall once stood— the college’s home since 1962 — but instead depicts the rise of the new state-of-the-art 140,000 square foot Barbara Drummond Thorne Academic and Research Facility bringing with it cutting-edge classrooms, laboratories, studios, research, offices and event space.

Attendees were given a first glimpse of what this transformative building will look like as students and faculty prepare to step inside its doors in less than a year. Designed to serve as a vibrant home for the College of Human Sciences, the facility will shape learning and innovation for generations to come.

"The College of Human Sciences has experienced tremendous growth and continues to attract students from across the nation,” said Auburn University President Christopher B. Roberts. “Those students are preparing for careers dedicated to improving the lives of individuals, families and communities. Through their work, the impact of Auburn reaches far beyond this campus, across Alabama and around the world. The cutting-edge environment taking shape behind us will help ensure that impact continues to grow.” 

Signatures of alumni, College of Human Sciences leaders, faculty, staff and friends of the college, along with the Thorne family filled the final beam prior to it being hoisted four stories into the air concluding the construction milestone.

“This is a major interim milestone on a project,” said Justin Drummond, president of Stone Building Company. “To get to the topping out date is the most scheduled risk in the project and this has been our target date from the beginning. We had some things throughout the way and challenges we had to work through but through a lot of hard work, support from different subcontractors, vendors and men and women that are here today we hit the milestone and we are on our path to hit it next summer for the completion date to welcome students for the fall semester.”

As hundreds gathered to celebrate the topping-out event, it was a symbolic reminder that one primary goal of the Barbara Drummond Thorne Academic and Research Facility is to bring people together. The dedicated facility space will bring students, faculty and staff that are currently spread across multiple buildings on campus together, allowing for more collaboration throughout the various departments and units. 

Following the topping-out event, guests made their way to a reception where Dean Hubbard offered a sneak peek at a few artist renderings of spaces inside the new building while also thanking the college's lead donors for making a more than three-decade long dream a reality.

“We expect to be moving from the Haley Center to the Barbara Drummond Thorne Academic and Research Facility as early as July 2027,” Dean Hubbard told the crowd at the topping-out reception. “So, this time next year, the College of Human Sciences’ new home will be fully open with students and faculty and staff, and this dean included, wide-eyed and grateful."