Hilltop Campus

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.

Skip the following collection of 6 photos and continue to the content immediately following.

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The Hilltop campus as it stood in 2001. — 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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Map of the Hilltop campus in 2004, highlighting 5 new buildings in the southwest portion of campus. — 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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Map of the Hilltop campus in 2009, highlighting 2 new buildings in the center of campus. — 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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Map of the Hilltop campus in 2014, highlighting 2 new buildings, one on the southern side of campus and one in the center of campus. — 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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Map of the Hilltop campus in 2016, highlighting 3 buildings that had been constructed or renovated in the center of campus, as well as a new bus turnaround in the southwest corner of campus. — 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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Map of the Hilltop campus in 2023, highlighting 1 new building in the northern section of campus. — 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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Hilltop Campus Additions

An interior open staircase in an atrium, leading down. Dining hall spaces are visible on both the top and bottom floors.

2003

Leo J. O’Donovan Dining Hall was built in 2003 and serves as the main dining hall for undergraduate students.

The brick exteriors of Reynolds and Kennedy Halls meet at a right angle, surrounding a grassy coartyard.

2003

Construction on McCarthy Hall, Kennedy Hall, and Reynolds Hall was completed in 2003 as residence halls for undergraduate juniors and seniors. Their collective U-shaped layout forms a courtyard, featuring a volleyball court and outdoor grills.

The 4-story, all-brick exterior of Wolfington Hall. A blooming tree with pink blossoms sits in front of the building.

2004

Built in 2004, Wolfington Residence Hall is the home of Georgetown University’s Jesuit community. The building also features a small chapel and community space for its residents and special events.

A mid-sized brick building rounds the corner of a pedestrian path. Rounded stairs lead up to the main entrance.

2005

The Davis Center for Performing Arts officially opened in November 2005 as the home of research and teaching laboratory for the Theater and Performance Studies Program.

The exterior of the Hariri Building's all-glass exterior on a sunny day

2009

On September 16, 2009, the Rafik B. Hariri Building was dedicated as the new home of the McDonough School of Business. This 5-story, 179,000 square foot building was named in honor of the former Prime Minister of Lebanon, who was a strong believer in the power of education.

The multi-story, steel and glass facade of Regents hall, facing a hilly, lush green grass garden.

2012

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 are interspersed across all branches of science, in the spirit of promoting more opportunities for interdisciplinary research and collaboration.

Shorter stone walls surround an outdoor staircase going up and to the right. The stairs sit in front of a tall brick building.

2014

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.

Three multi-story brick buildings stand at right-angles to each other, forming a u-shape.

2015

Ryan and Isaac Hawkins Halls began renovations in 2014 to convert their previously-used Jesuit housing space into suite-style residences into updated on-campus undergraduate student housing. The updated buildings were reopened in 2015.

A shuttle bus stop sign for the Georgetown University Law Center, labeled number 4 in a paved bus turn-around, in front of the McDonough Arena.

2015

The McDonough Bus Turnaround opened in front of the McDonough Gymnasium on November 9, 2015. This pavilion in the southwest corner of campus allows campus shuttle buses to fully use the Canal Road entrance, acting as a hub between off-campus locations and the northern part of the Hilltop campus.

The exterior of Arrupe Hall, a 7-story building whose facade is a combination of brick, stone, and glass.

2016

Pedro Arrupe, S.J. Hall opened in 2015, adding on-campus housing for 225 students. This modern, 8-story building features suite-style rooms with private bathrooms and kitchens. It is named after Pedro Arrupe, S.J. (1907-1991), who is considered to be “The Second Founder” of the Society of Jesus.

The exterior of the Thompson Athletics Center, a multi-level brick building filled with large windows, facing a paved vehicle turnaround.

2016

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. The building was named after former Georgetown basketball coach John R. Thompson, Jr.

The Verstandig Pavillion, a 6-story bright red brick building.

2023

The Verstandig Pavilion became the newest addition to MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in November 2023. This 477,000 square-foot building features 156 private patient rooms, state-of-the-art emergency and surgical facilities, and ground-breaking research laboratories.