Title: Georgetown To Break Ground on New Housing Projects on Campus

Beginning in May 2023, Georgetown will begin construction to replace Henle Village with a larger, more environmentally sustainable and accessible apartment-style facility for undergraduate students. 

This July, the university will transform the Georgetown University Hotel and Conference Center into traditional residential housing for the next several years. And in August 2022, Georgetown will open its 237,000-square-foot apartment-style complex for graduate students at 55 H St. NW, a few blocks from the U.S. Capitol.

“These new projects reinforce Georgetown’s commitment to sustainability and accessibility, to interdisciplinary collaboration, and to a vibrant living and learning experience on campus,” says Jeanne Lord, interim vice president of student affairs and dean of students. “We’re looking forward to working closely with students to envision spaces that best fit their needs.”

The new residences will offer flexible housing for students and meet the requirements outlined in Georgetown’s Campus Plan, which was developed in collaboration with the Georgetown Community Partnership and unanimously approved by the DC Zoning Commission in 2016.

Envisioning a New Henle

Henle, a building named after former Georgetown President Robert Henle, S.J., is located near Georgetown’s Leavey Center on its main campus. The residential community currently houses 468 students in apartment-style housing.

The new facility will house 746 students in apartment-style housing, adding 278 beds to Georgetown’s on-campus housing stock, fulfilling the requirement of the university’s Campus Plan to provide additional beds on campus.

Henle will be divided into east and west buildings with open, green spaces between the buildings. The residence will also offer 15,000 square feet of student lounges, wellness spaces and study rooms. 

“Henle will be a significant investment in a more environmentally friendly and sustainable future,” says David Green, chief financial officer and interim chief operating officer of Georgetown. “Student engagement and involvement in its design will be critical to the process.”

Construction is expected to run from May 2023 through July 2025, during which time the space formerly occupied by the Georgetown hotel will house approximately 290 students. During the 2022-23 academic year, the space will continue to provide space for students facing public health needs, such as isolation, along with other flexible student residential space. 

The Henle construction project continues to undergo internal and external reviews.

Georgetown University’s Hotel and Conference Center

The Georgetown University Hotel and Conference Center has been closed to internal and external clients for more than two years. 

Given the university’s continued need for flexible housing and isolation space for students during public health challenges and additional residential space for undergraduate students, the hotel will be converted into a residence hall for the next several years.

Beginning July 1, 2022, the guest room tower space will be renovated into a more traditional residential living space, with student lounges, laundry facilities and other new amenities. 

For the past year, two floors of the hotel have functioned as a student residential community. 

Daelyn Waters (C’23) lived in the hotel in Fall 2021. She worried that moving there would make her feel isolated from the rest of campus, but instead, she found a community on her floor and a “place of peace” with space for friends to visit.

“I truly enjoyed my time there overall because of the tranquility, ability to host and access to my own bathroom, which was incredibly helpful for limiting exposure during these challenging times,” she says. “My room turned into my home away from home.”

55 H St. NW: Housing for Students Downtown

After two years of construction, Georgetown will open its new residence for undergraduate and graduate students in downtown DC with 158 furnished apartment-style units. 

Located just blocks from Georgetown Law, the School of Continuing Studies, 500 1st Street interdisciplinary building and a newly-acquired building at 111 Massachusetts Ave. NW, 55 H St. offers a living, learning and working community for students to explore all DC has to offer a few blocks from the U.S. Capitol. 

“55 H St. offers our graduate students an ideal opportunity to live, study and work together in a setting that will facilitate peer connections while providing easy access to both downtown Washington and to our Hilltop campus,” says Alexander Sens, dean of the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. “We are thrilled to be able to offer graduate students this living and learning community option downtown.”

Rooted in the university’s mission to advance environmental sustainability, the 11-story building integrates sustainability into its design. The hall will include solar panels on the roof, dedicated green space, an outdoor classroom and bioretention garden. The project is also tracking LEED Platinum, the highest rating under the LEED green building rating system and U.S. Green Building Council.

The residence also features a contemplation space, theater, fitness center, offices and meeting rooms, an outdoor courtyard and bike storage, and is located near Union Station, the Supreme Court and the National Mall.

Construction is expected to be completed by mid-August 2022, with a move-in date of August 21.