Old North Building

In the 18th century, the nascent Georgetown College, with only one building on its campus in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C., was in continual need of additional space. Therefore, in 1792, with all of the college's facilities housed within the South Building (which was demolished in 1904), land was purchased for the construction of an additional building. Construction started in 1794[1] on what became known as the North Building, and work on its edifice was completed by 1795. The architect is believed to have been Leonard Harbaugh, the Baltimore-based designer of Holy Trinity Chapel.[1] The building was modeled after Nassau Hall at Princeton University. Funding the construction of a building of its size was difficult for the school. The total cost of its initial construction exceeded £10,000, a sum significantly greater than the revenue from the Jesuits' Maryland plantations, which were funding the project. The board of directors was required to raise tuition, cut President Robert Plunkett's salary by more than half,[1] and make some payments in the form of cows raised on campus as barter, rather than in cash. The interior of the building was not complete until 1809, with an anonymous contribution of $400. Upon completion, the 154-foot-long building increased the amount of dormitory space on campus fourfold. It also housed classrooms, a refectory,[5] and a chapel.[2] The building finally opened for use in 1797.[1]

When construction of Old North was completed, many considered it "one of the grandest works in Washington, after the Capitol Building," and it became the flagship building of the university.[6]

It was not until 1809 when, during the presidency of William Matthews, the building was totally complete. Until then, only the interior of the third floor had been finished;[8] Matthews also added the two octagonal towers, which were an unusual addition to the Georgian-style building.[9]

1829 depiction of Old South (left, demolished) and Old North (right)

On May 4, 1861, during the Civil War, notice was given to President John Early that the 69th Infantry Regiment of New York would be commandeering Georgetown College's campus to quarter its 1,400 soldiers. The commandeering of the college lasted until June 4 of that year.[10] Old North was exempt from this order, and the students of the college had to quickly remove all of their belongings to the Old North Building. Likewise, Old North was exempt from another order by the Surgeon General of the Army, on August 31, 1862 to convert Georgetown's facilities into a hospital for 500 patients. This exemption was due to intervention by General Amiel Weeks Whipple, whose two sons attended the college.[11]

Old North (right) was overshadowed by the construction of Healy Hall

With the school growing, Georgetown embarked on the construction of Healy Hall. Architects Smithmeyer and Pelz begin drafting designs for the building, with one such plan from 1876 depicting the fourth floor of Healy Hall overlapping the footprint of Old North, suggesting that they had considered the demolition of the Old North building.[5] When Healy Hall was completed immediately adjacent to the building, Old North lost its status as the flagship of the university and its grandeur was diminished in comparison.[6]

An area to the south of the building was eventually enclosed by a fence, and became referred to as The Yard. The space was used by the student athletic association formed in 1891 for recreation. Over time, "The Yard" became a metonym for the athletic association, which grew to assume broader functions, eventually becoming Georgetown's student government;[2] hence, the former name of the student government is The Yard.[12] The courtyard between Old North and Old South—the area roughly coextensive with Dahlgren Quadrangle today—initially left the southern entrance of Old North to be at ground level.[13] It was not until 1893 that the quadrangle was sunken and a staircase to the south entrance constructed.[10]

Northern elevation as seen in 1933, prior to the construction of the new entrance

In 1981, Georgetown began a two-year renovation of Old North in order to repurpose it from housing dormitories and classrooms to the new home of the School of Business Administration (the school had not yet been renamed the School of Business or, even later, the McDonough School of Business).[14] This renovation also involved outfitting the north façade of the building with a new entrance.[15] The building was rededicated in 1983 with a conferral of an honorary doctorate of humane letters on President Gerald Ford by Georgetown President Timothy Healy, followed by a ceremonial ribbon-cutting by the two.[16] Part of this renovation was the design and construction of an exterior fire escape for Old North at its junction with Healy Hall, the design of which incorporated architectural elements from the two buildings. The metal structure won awards from the Washington and Mid-Atlantic chapters of the American Institute of Architects.[15]

Old North was again renovated in 2013, with all 25,000 square feet (2,300 m²) across its five floors being refurbished.[3] This entailed the removal of the wooden beams in the attic that had long-since lost their structurally supporting role and were merely decorative.[4] This renovation was to accommodate the relocation of the Georgetown Public Policy Institute to Old North. The institute's successor, the McCourt School of Public Policy now resides in the building.[7]