University Summer Projects Aim to Enhance Residential Campus

August 21, 2013 – This summer marked the start and completion of numerous improvement projects aimed at enhancing student academic and residential life while evolving the university’s presence in downtown Washington, D.C.

More than 20 construction and renovation projects took place this summer, with many of them specifically designed to improve current living space for students on campus.

The projects also include the start of construction for the new Healey Family Student Center in New South Hall; the finishing touches of a new downtown home for the School of Continuing Studies (SCS); and the near completion of the Calcagnini Contemplative Center in Bluemont, Va.

“From large projects such as the completion of the new home for SCS on Massachusetts Avenue to the initiation of the Healey Family Student Center to smaller efforts such as classroom upgrades, sidewalk and residence hall improvements, our summer accomplishments represent a balanced and collaborative approach to improving the living and learning environment at Georgetown,” said Robin Morey, vice president for planning and facilities management.
 

Interior and exterior renovations

Also in the works are the interior and exterior renovations to Dahlgren Chapel, scheduled for completion in January 2014, and classroom and art studio renovations in Walsh and White-Gravenor.

Constructions crews also converted a former St. Mary’s Hall computer lab into faculty offices and graduate student spacing and replaced the roof on McDonough Gymnasium.

Critical Component

The Healey Family Student Center will feature gathering spaces designed for an increasingly residential campus – including a pub, dance studios, a food service area run by The Corp, and meeting, social and study spaces.

A dramatic south terrace overlooking Prospect Street and the Potomac River is another highlight of the new center.

“When completed, [the center] will represent a critical component in our efforts to make the Hilltop a living and learning environment,” Morey said. “With the addition of over 46,000 square feet of student space, we are creating on environment where students will want to stay on campus to meet their educational and social needs.”

Georgetown Downtown

The new 91,000-square foot home for Georgetown’s School of Continuing Studies in downtown Washington, D.C., will include 30 classrooms, contemplative space and multiple meetings areas.

Construction is also winding down on the new School of Continuing Studies (SCS) home at 640 Massachusetts Avenue in downtown Washington, D.C., where SCS students will begin their classes this fall.

SCS’s new downtown location builds on the foundation set by Georgetown University Law Center, which is located just a few blocks away from the SCS site at 600 New Jersey Ave.

“[The new space] provides an outstanding venue at a convenient location for our students to access educational programs to facilitate their professional studies,” Morey said.

The SCS’ 91,000-square-foot space includes 30 classrooms; 14 study group rooms; a 130-person auditorium; a digital media lab; a broadcast studio; a library resource center; a contemplative space; a bookstore, a café and multiple meeting spaces.

Residence Hall Improvements

Georgetown projects taking place or completed this summer to improve student residence halls include:

• New paint, carpet, furniture and mattresses in Copley Hall
• New community furniture in McCarthy, Kennedy, Reynolds and Harbin Halls
• New lobby carpet in McCarthy, Kennedy and Reynolds Halls
• New room furniture in LXR
• New mattresses in New South, Village A, Alumni Square, LXR and Henle

“New carpeting, fresh paint and new furniture are necessary components in improving our student living spaces, and for those things I think Copley residents are very grateful,” says Mary Petrone (C’15), a resident assistant.

The university also made progress renovating its Magis Row townhouses.

Crews worked this summer to convert the 18 units, located on 36th and 37th Streets, from undergraduate student housing to faculty, staff and graduate student housing and offices.

“The completion of the Magis Row townhouse renovations allowed us to relocate 65 undergraduate students from the community back on campus,” Morey said. “This project is in keeping with our campus plan commitments.”

Building a Retreat Center

The Calcagnini Contemplative Center in Bluemont, Va., will host the Office of Campus Ministry’s retreats.

Outside of Washington, D.C., construction crews are putting finishing touches on the Calcagnini Contemplative Center in Bluemont, Va., which will be home to the Office of Campus Ministry’s retreats for Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim and Orthodox Christian students as well as those who practice other religions.

When complete, the center located in the Blue Ridge Mountains will include a Catholic chapel, a common green area, community and dining halls, a caretaker’s house and 28 cabins.

The center is being built with a $17 million gift from Arthur Calcagnini (C’54) and his wife, Nancy.