As part of an upgrade of resources for the college of Arts and Sciences, the renovation of Cocke Hall encompasses historic preservation, a new interior space plan, and new mechanical and electrical systems. None of these changes is visible on the exterior of the building, as it is one of three 1898 buildings by McKim, Mead, and White to close the South end of Thomas Jefferson's Lawn, now protected as a United Nations World Heritage site.

The newly renovated Cocke Hall houses the philosophy department and the department of Classics.