The Hilltop campus is Georgetown’s original campus, dating back to its founding in 1789. For over 200 years, the Hilltop has changed and grown. The last 20 years in particular have been a time of unprecedented growth for this classic campus, as it has adapted to student life and academics in the 21st century.
Hilltop expansion, 2001-2024: A timeline
Click through the slides below to see how the Hilltop campus has grown over the years.
Map of the Hilltop campus in Washington DC, circa 2001. The existing buildings are highlighted in blue, with the surrounding campus areas highlighted in green.
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In the early 2000s, Hilltop campus capital projects focused on the Southwest Quad expansion. This project introduced McCarthy Hall, Kennedy Hall, and Reynolds Hall in 2003, allowing more students than ever before to live on campus. The Leo J. O’Donovan Dining Hall was also built in 2003, and serves as the main dining hall for undergraduate students. Additionally, Wolfginton Hall, built in 2004, became the home of Georgetown’s Jesuit community.
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By 2010, the Hilltop welcomed two new buildings in the center of campus. The Davis Center for Performing Arts officially opened in November 2005 as the center of teaching and research of theater and the performing arts. In September 2009, the new Rafik B. Hariri Building was dedicated as the new home of the McDonough School of Business.
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The early part of the 2010s introduced 2 new buildings to campus. Regents Hall, the University’s new science center, officially opened in October 2012. This 6-story, LEED-certified building featured expanded research and classroom laboratories spaces and student study spaces. In 2014, the Healey Family Student Center opened. This building was built beneath the New South residence hall featuring a great room for general and event use, as well as a number of study and conference rooms.
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Several important capital projects were completed in the mid-2010s. The Hilltop campus created more on-campus housing for undergraduate students, with renovations to Ryan Hall in 2015 and the construction of Pedro Arrupe, S.J. Hall in 2016. The McDonough Bus Turnaround, located in front of the McDonough Gymnasium, also opened in 2015, allowing for convenient access to campus shuttles. Additionally, the John R. Thompson Intercollegiate Athletics Center opened in 2016, housing state-of-the-art spaces for 29 varsity programs.
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In 2023, the Verstandig Pavilion at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital opened. This new building features state-of-the-art emergency and surgical facilities.
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2003
Leo J. O’Donovan Dining Hall: This dining hall was built in 2003 and serves as the main dining hall for undergraduate students.
McCarthy Hall, Kennedy Hall, and Reynolds Hall: These three buildings are residence halls for undergraduate juniors and seniors. Their collective U-shaped layout forms a courtyard, featuring a volleyball court and outdoor grills.
Regents Hall, the University’s new science center, officially opened on October 4, 2012. This 6-story, LEED-certified building featured expanded research and classroom laboratories spaces and student study spaces. Faculty offices were interspersed across all branches of science, in the spirit of promoting more opportunities for interdisciplinary research and collaboration.
On September 5, 2014, the Healey Family Student Center opened, featuring a great room for general and event use, 12 study rooms, and 3 larger conference rooms. The Student Center is located beneath the New South Residence Hall and was officially dedicated on October 8, 2014.
The Ryan Hall renovations completed. (Was called the Old Jesuit Residence Project.) The university needed more space for on-campus student housing, as per a 2013 agreement to avoid opening a satellite campus. They decided to renovate Ryan and Freedom (then-Mulledy) Halls. The project converted the previously-used Jesuit housing spaces into suite-style residences for 148 undergraduate students. Construction began in 2014.
The McDonough Bus Turnaround opened in front of the McDonough Gymnasium on November 9, 2015. This pavilion in the southwest corner of campus allows GUTS buses to fully use the Canal Road entrance, acting as a hub between buses from off-campus and from the northern part of campus.
Pedro Arrupe, S.J. Hall: This construction project was originally titled the Northeast Triangle project. This added on-campus housing for 225 students.
Construction for the John R. Thompson Intercollegiate Athletics Center broke ground on September 12, 2014. This facility houses state-of-the-art spaces for 29 varsity programs. Former basketball star and Georgetown basketball head coach Patrick Ewing (CAS ’85) donated $3.3 million towards this project. The building was named after former Georgetown basketball coach John Thompson, Jr.
In November 2023, the Verstandig Pavilion at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital opened. This new building features state-of-the-art emergency and surgical facilities.
