Arrupe Hall, the University’s newest upperclassmen dorm, is located between Henle Village and the Reiss Science Building, directly across from the Leavey Center. The eight-story building spans 29,845 square feet and houses 225 bed in semi-suite arrangements with shared bathrooms. Each floor includes a kitchen, lounge, and study room. The building’s first floor includes a multi-purpose room, a study space, a demonstration kitchen, and opens to an outdoor area with seating and grilling amenities.1
Construction and design
The University announced plans to construct a new dorm, then known as the “Northeast Triangle,” in 2013 with the hopes of opening the new dorm in the fall of 2015. However, when the building’s architect, Sasaki Associates, presented its original concept designs, they were met with concerns from both students and alumni about the design’s “perceived architectural incoherence with respect to other university buildings.”2 It took months of negotiations and redesigning, in order for the Old Georgetown Board to grant its approval of the final concept in March 2014. The reworked design provided a new primary entrance on the south side of the dorm to alleviate concerns of potential heavy foot traffic, as well as an altered facade that incorporated stone brick and glass to connect the building’s architecture to both the buildings around Healy lawn and Henle Village.3
Because of these delays, the building did not open until the fall of 2016, forcing the University to scramble for housing for the 2015-2016 year. The University converted the second and third floors of the Georgetown University Hotel and Conference center into temporary student housing for 140 students.4
Grave discovery
When the Gilbane Building Company finally broke ground on the new building in December 2014, workers unearthed a human thighbone. Arrupe was built near the College Burial Ground, an old campus graveyard used by Holy Trinity Church for parishioners, enslaved people, and free blacks. The graveyard had been removed previously in 1953 to Mount Olivet Cemetery in order to clear space for the Reiss Science Building. However, only 50 of an estimated 900 people buried in College were recovered. The University did not publicly disclose the discovery at the time, and it only became widespread campus knowledge in 2018.5
Opening
Arrupe Hall finally opened in the fall of 2016, after an estimated overall project cost of $46 million.6 At the suggestion of Patrick Musgrave (C’16), the University named the new dorm Arrupe Hall after Pedro Arrupe, S.J. Arrupe is known as the second founder of the Jesuits and, as Musgrave explained, “his commitment to feeding the hungry, tending to the sick and advancing a love and knowledge of Jesus is something to which all Georgetown students should aspire.”7
Accessibility issues
In 2018, members of a Georgetown University Student Association Accessibility Policy team revealed that Arrupe Hall was not compliant with the Americans With Disabilities Act. The ADA bars interior doors with more than five pounds of forced required to open in the absence of automatic buttons. Several doors throughout Arrupe, including those to common rooms, study rooms, kitchens, and the laundry room were found in violation. The University hired a hardware consultant shortly thereafter to address the issue.8
- 1Charles Trepany, “Northeast Triangle on Track for Fall Opening.” The Hoya. 19 Feb. 2016.
- 2Molly Simio, “Northeast Triangle Wins OGB Approval.” The Hoya. 7 March 2014.
- 3Id.
- 4Patricja Okuniewska, “Hotel Rooms Converted Into Student Housing.” The Hoya. 4 Sept. 2015.
- 5Lisa Burgoa, “Human Remains Found During Construction of Arrupe Hall.” The Hoya. 8 Aug. 2018.
- 6Charles Trepany, “Northeast Triangle on Track for Fall Opening.” The Hoya. 19 Feb. 2016.
- 7“Georgetown’s Newest Residence Hall Named for Society of Jesus Leader.” Georgetown University News. 11 Aug. 2016.
- 8Maya Gandhi, “Arrupe Hall Fails ADA Compliance Standards.” The Hoya. 6 Sept. 2018.
