UNC recently put the finishing touches on a significant renovation project to one of the oldest buildings on campus.
The South Building roof replacement project, which began last May, wrapped up in March and UNC Chancellor Lee Roberts detailed the project in a social media post on Friday. While the repairs were initially estimated to only take a few months, the university told the Daily Tar Heel work extended into the new calendar year after some complications — including more work to restore the historic cupola that sits atop the building at Polk Place.
“Here at South Building, we’re delighted that our long roof project is finally complete and the scaffolding is down in plenty of time for graduation and graduation photos,” Roberts said to start the video shared from the UNC Chancellor account. “This new roof is replacing a roof that was almost 100 years old.”
A finial is installed atop the South Building cupola on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on Mar. 18, 2026. (Photo via Jon Gardiner/UNC-Chapel Hill.)
The 7,500-square foot roof saw crews working across several months to put down cooper roof panels, a change from the historic wood and painting that adorned the roof. UNC also made changes to the roof deck, made significant repairs to the cupola, and replaced the finial and weathervane at the top. In Friday’s video, Roberts said not only is the copper roof consistent with South Building’s architectural style, but it is uncoated. That means, in roughly 25 years, the copper will oxidize to the point where it will closely match the shade atop the iconic Old Well, which sits a few yards away across Cameron Avenue.
South Building’s cornerstone was laid in 1798, although construction wasn’t complete until several years later after interruptions in the project’s funding. It was initially build as an academic and dormitory hall, but has since been used for student life, religious, library and administrative purposes — with its main purpose today being where the chancellor’s office and administrative staff are housed.
“South Building is one of the oldest public university buildings in the United States,” Roberts said. “This was a significant undertaking, but it was an important step in making sure that one of the most important buildings in the state of North Carolina is preserved for generations to come.
UNC contracted the repairs through the Zebulon-based Muter Construction, which shared the final progression of the project on its own social media pages.
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UNC Finishes South Building Roof Repair Project, Shares Details on New Touches Chapelboro.com.
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