![]() These buildings were turned over to the Regiment, and College operations moved into Old North. The College was given less than 24 hours’ notice of their arrival and the 60 or so students who still remained (the others having been withdrawn by their anxious parents) had to quickly move out of the buildings on the south side of the Quadrangle. The 69th, which numbered fourteen hundred men, arrived on campus on May 4, 1861. This illustration shows the 69th Regiment of the New York State Militia, known as the “Irish Regiment,” in the Quadrangle in front of the South Building. The image clearly illustrates why the Georgetown campus became known as "The Hilltop." One reason that John Carroll picked Georgetown as the site for his school was "the Salubrity of air", referenced in his circa 1787 Proposals For Establishing an Academy, at George-Town, Potowmack-River, Maryland, which the elevation provided. It was used to illustrate a prospectus that the College sent out in 1829 giving information about fees and the curriculum to the parents of potential students. This is the earliest image of campus found in the University Archives. Over time, however, it became involved in a wider variety of student interests and by 1920, The Hoya was referring to the Yard President as the official head of the student body. The Yard/Athletic Association’s initial function was to organize “amusement and exercise,” according to the 1891 catalog. In 1891, when an Athletic Association was formed by the students, it was also known as the Yard, a term which later came to be associated with student government more generally. ![]() The area enclosed by the fence seen in this image was a recreational space known as the Yard. It was not until 1809, when an anonymous gift of $400 was received, that the interior was fully completed. Fees were raised and records in the Archives show that at one point building expenses were paid in beef - from cows raised on campus - rather than cash. Finding money to pay for the construction work was challenging for the fledgling Georgetown College. At 154 feet across, it quadrupled dormitory space on campus and added classrooms and a chapel. ![]() Old North was modelled after Nassau Hall at Princeton. The land on which Old North sits was bought in 1792 and work on its exterior was completed by 1795. The South Building was quickly joined by the North Building (known today as Old North). This arrangement was quickly rethought, however, because of concerns over student discipline and planning began for another, larger building. Additionally, John Carroll's original plan had been for students to live off campus, with faculty visiting to prevent idleness and dissipation. As referenced above, the College had very little money to fund construction. The small size of the building was a deliberate choice. The building was still under construction when our first student, North Carolinian William Gaston, arrived in November 1791. The South Building was razed in 1904 and Ryan Hall stands on the site today. Georgetown’s founder, Father John Carroll, described its site as one of the most lovely situations, that imagination can frame in a letter he wrote in March 1788. Carroll hoped the building would be finished in a year – however, financial issues meant that it took over three years to finish. The first building on campus, sometimes known as the Carroll Building, was begun in 1788. Most of these documents are photographs in some of these the Quadrangle is the focus of the image, in others it serves as the backdrop to either routine activities or to special events. This exhibition briefly charts the history of the space through scans of fifty documents from the University Archives. Not until the 1930s when the Medical-Dental Building opened on Reservoir Road, followed by the building of Copley Hall and White-Gravenor, did the focus of campus planning shift away from it. The Quadrangle is the heart of Georgetown’s campus. The history of its development is in effect the history of the development of campus as a whole for the first 140 years of Georgetown’s existence. During this time, academic, residential, and spiritual activities all centered on it. In April 1788, work began on Georgetown’s first building, the South Building, situated along what would become the south side of the Quadrangle. Over time, other buildings joined the South Building and in 1926, with the opening of New North, the Quadrangle as we know it today was completed. ![]() Booth Family Center for Special Collections.Rare Books, Manuscripts, Art & Archives.
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