A History of Georgetown

Our Georgetown colleague, Paul O’Neill, and co-author, Bennie Smith, have just published a new history of Georgetown University in the Campus History Series of Arcadia Publishing (www.arcadiapublishing.com). It is a much shorter and more accessible history than the three-volume set written by Emmett Curran some years ago; it is only 143 pages in length with generous pictorial content. For those of us who can’t get enough of Georgetown, it makes a great read.

It starts at the founding years and ends toward the start of the new millennium.

For readers who revel in learning about the early years, there’s plenty of commentary on the struggle to become viable – “There were five presidents in the first 10 years, enrollment climbed and dropped unpredictably, and buildings were left unfinished for lack of funds.” For example, the exterior of the Old North building was completed in 1795, but the interior was not full finished until 1809. Healy Hall was standing in 1879, but remained incomplete (no Gaston Hall, no Riggs library) for 20 years later. For those of us who complain about our current limited space, it’s humbling to read about those early challenges.

I liked the reference from Charles Dickens, who visited campus in 1842:

“At George Town, in the suburbs, there is a Jesuit College; delightfully situated, and, so far as I had an opportunity of seeing, well managed. Many persons who are not members of the Romish Church, avail themselves, I believe, of these institutions, and of the advantageous opportunities they afford for the education of their children. The heights of this neighbourhood, above the Potomac River, are very picturesque; and are free, I should conceive, from some of the insalubrities of Washington. The air, at that elevation, was quite cool and refreshing, when it the city it was burning hot.”

I’m not sure most of us feel such a detachment from the “insalubrities” of Washington, DC.

One of the great contributions of the slim volume is to assemble photographs of the campus in its various stages of development. All three of our current campuses are covered – main, medical, and law.

Some show the expansion and growth of the university. There are pictures of Dahlgren quad before there was Dahlgren chapel. It shows the “campus water pump,” whose canopy is still present even now (without the pump). An early photograph, from 1865, shows a pastoral scene, with trees, fields, fences and barns — all long gone. A photo of Gaston Hall before the murals were added to the walls reminds one of how the murals add to the gravitas of the hall. There is a picture of a gymnasium (Ryan Hall) that is now the performing arts building, with an indoor elevated track, parallel bars, and a pommel horse.

Some pictures show dreams that were not fulfilled (at least, not yet). There is an architectural rendering of a full quad, partially framed by Copley Hall and White-Gravenor, but supplemented by building along the wall of 37th Street. Another shows a dream of a 20,000 seat sports stadium planned (but never built) where the Med-Dent building now stands.

There’s also interesting insider information that I didn’t know. For example, the bronze statue of John Carroll was not ready for display at the time of its dedication ceremony, so a plaster version of the statue in bronze paint was displayed.

My favorites are aerial pictures of the campus at different periods of time. There were clearly times when the university owned much more land than it was using, with trees between “main campus” and the medical center and many more playing fields. With our current building density, it’s difficult to imagine that scene, despite the vivid pictures.

For anyone who is curious about how the campus has changed over the centuries, the book is a treat. I thank Paul and Bennie for producing an enchanting history of the institution we love.