Harkness Tower is on track to emerge from its blue tarp and steel scaffolding a few weeks earlier than was previously announced, a facilities director said today.

Though the tower’s renovation was originally scheduled to be completed by June, the project’s contractor hoped to unveil the tower in time for Commencement at the end of May. Now, the Office of Facilities expects to have Harkness ready a few weeks ahead of schedule, by the end of April or early May, said Samuel Carbone, director of project management for construction and renovation.

Branford College residents can still hear the noise of construction on Harkness as it undergoes renovations, but parts of the tower have begun to emerge from the scaffolding that has hidden the Yale landmark from sight since the summer.

Meanwhile, the Guild of Carillonneurs has moved operations from the bells in Harkness to a traveling carillon on Science Hill. Read about the Guild’s first concert since August here.