Gearhart Hall was built in two phases, in 1940 and 1946, and is one of the principal buildings in the University of Arkansas's historic campus core. This project restored the historic building’s exterior facades and interiors, and added a new 24,000-square-foot wing that completes the building’s intended C-shaped plan, defining a formal landscaped courtyard that accommodates gatherings large and small.

The restoration and new wing carries forward the limestone Collegiate Gothic architectural vocabulary established by Jamieson & Spearl in the 1920s. The building's interior includes Gothic detailing, woodwork, and light fixtures. Operable windows that recall the building’s original design replace fixed windows from a previous unsympathetic renovation, and state-of-the-art mechanical systems are concealed to retain the building's historic character.

The new wing houses the Honors College on two levels, with a 275-seat auditorium at the ground level of the addition. Facilities including classrooms, teaching labs, study rooms, and faculty offices for the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences and the Geosciences Department are distributed throughout the renovated existing building, along with the Graduate School administrative offices on the second floor. The project is LEED Gold certified.