Gewirz Student Center sits at 120 F Street NW and serves as a residence hall for students at the Georgetown University Law Center. The University’s only graduate student residence hall, Gewirz spans 225,264 square feet and cost an estimated $30 million to construct.1
Design and Name
Designed by Hartman-Cox Architects, the building incorporates architectural features of the neighboring McDonough Hall and Edward Bennett Williams Law Library including the columns, exterior design patterns, and the brick color. The University began construction in April 1991, and the building officially opened in 1993.
The building is named for Bernard and Sarah Gewirz who gifted $3 million for the creation of a new student center. 2Mr. Gewirz has also served as a member of the Board of Regents, and he and Mrs. Gewirz also contributed to the Law Library building fund.
Housing
Gewirz rises twelve stories, and floors two through eleven feature one, two, and three bedroom apartments that can accommodate approximately 300 students. Every apartment has one or more private bedrooms, one or more bathrooms, and a kitchen, and most include an additional living room area. Each apartment is furnished with a bed, dresser, kitchen table, bookshelf space, and large desks. Informal lounges exist on alternate floors, and the twelfth floor serves as a larger lounge for both student and alumni events.3
Facilities
Also housed in Gewirz are the Law Center's Student Health clinic, the Center for Wellness Promotion, the Counseling and Psychiatric Service office, a dedicated prayer room for Muslim members of the Law Center community, a moot court room, a daycare (the Georgetown Law Early Learning Center), and a ballroom event space commonly used for academic conferences. The Law Center’s parking garage also extends underneath the building.4
- 1Francis X. Ballman, "The Bernard and Sarah M. Gerwirz Student Center," Building Outlines Campus Buildings, 1789 – 1995, Father Lawrence Hurley Memorial Edition, Francis X. Ballmann and the Division of Facilities, 1995, p. 22.
- 2Charles J. Hartley, “Georgetown U. Law Center: $3-Million from Developer.” The Chronicle of Higher Education. 17 Jan. 1990.
- 3“On Campus Housing: the Gewirz Student Center.” Georgetown Law Bulletin 1995-1996. p.227.
- 4“Georgetown Dedicates Gewirz Student Center.” Res Ipsa Loquitur, vol. 42 no.3 p.7-9.
