After a series of funding setbacks, construction for Chico State’s new Arts and Humanities Building will begin with the demolition of Taylor Hall in December.

A ceremonial groundbreaking for the new building, informally known as Taylor II, will begin on Nov. 12, said Joe Wills, a spokesman for Chico State.

The project was funded by the state in three phases, wrote Lori Hoffman, vice president for business and finance, in an email to the Orion.

“The first two were used to reimburse the campus for planning and architectural drawings,” Hoffman wrote. “The last phase is for construction, and it was funded on Oct. 9 through a state lease bond program.”

The project is projected to cost an estimated $57.2 million, according to Chico State’s website.

The new building will house the English and foreign language department offices, along with the dean of the college of humanities and fine arts, Wills said.

Other departments that will have a major presence in the building include the art department and the department of music and theatre, Wills said.

“The art department will have studios and galleries in Taylor Hall and the music-theatre department will have recording studios and recital halls and rehearsal rooms,” Wills said. “Neither of the departments are currently looking at holding their offices there.”

Taylor II will also house 100 faculty offices, three galleries, two ceramics rooms and classrooms varying in size from 30 to 250 seats, Hoffman wrote.

The building will also be energy-efficient, with an array of solar panels on the roof, Hoffman wrote.

Following the completion of asbestos abatement for Taylor Hall between November and December, demolition of the current structure is projected to be finished in January, Hoffman wrote in an email to The Orion.

The construction will continue until the projected fall 2016 opening.

“The project will start with recycling and removing a lot of the stuff from Taylor,” Wills said. “They’ll pull out the woods, the metals and recycle or resell them. A lot of it gets reused.”

The building has been on the five-year State Capital Program plan for two decades, Hoffman wrote.

“There have been numerous obstacles but we are so delighted that it is shovel ready with funding in hand.”

Aubrey Crosby can be reached at [email protected] or @aubreycrosby on Twitter.