Housing & Facilities Update

[RusskyHoya]

From the Alumni Admissions Program Winter 2021 Newsletter:

The COVID-19 pandemic has provided a silver lining for our Main Campus Department of Planning and Facilities Management. Per Lori Baldwin, Vice President for Planning and Facilities and Vice President for Corporate Partnerships, a number of campus updates and renovations have been completed during the past several months. More than 1,000 dorms, apartments, and university-owned townhouses have been refreshed. In addition to work "behind the walls," carpets have been replaced with luxury vinyl flooring and furniture has been updated and refinished. The Office of Undergraduate Admissions is particularly excited about renovations to our home, White Gravenor Hall. Updates to White Gravenor Hall were recently completed and the building now offers Americans Disabilities Act (ADA) accessible entry and movement throughout the building while maintaining the building's rich history.

Our athletic facilities have also received renovations. Construction on Cooper Field was completed in the fall of 2020 adding 3,250 seats for fans on the north end and an additional 750 seats on the hill side. Permanent locker rooms have been installed for the football and field hockey teams in addition to game day locker rooms for men's and women's lacrosse. An updated 400M practice track has also been added around the perimeter of Yates rooftop. Our student athletes are eager to make use of these new facilities.

Additionally, Facilities Management has worked to revamp COVID readiness procedures. Procter & Gamble consultants have been brought in to advise on enhanced cleaning procedures to ensure facilities and shared spaces are prepared for the return of in-person classes.

We encourage you to watch the video below which highlights these updates and more. The most up-to-date information can be found on the Planning and Facilities website.

Renovations Video: residentialliving.georgetown.edu/building-renovations

[hoyaduck]

Imagine a competitive race whipping around this turn 

Attachments:

[CAHoya07]

Feb 16, 2021 18:50:33 GMT -5 hoyaduck said:

Imagine a competitive race whipping around this turn 

Whoa! I would have used this a lot as an undergrad. I guess a funky-shaped track is better than no track. Track team sure as hell won't be using this. Good for recreation though, and post-party late Friday night challenges.

Dorm rooms look like they got a nice facelift as well, thanks for the video share, Russky.

[Nevada Hoya]

Feb 16, 2021 18:50:33 GMT -5 hoyaduck said:

Imagine a competitive race whipping around this turn 

That is crazy!

[RusskyHoya]

More updates. Looks like they've been busy!



The medical center project continues to be a massive undertaking. The structural steel looks like it may be at or near top-out height at this point.

[RusskyHoya]

[RusskyHoya]

[RusskyHoya]

[DFW HOYA]

This one comes out of the blue: Henle Village to be razed in 2023.

thehoya.com/georgetown-to-construct-new-henle-village-offer-increased-campus-housing/

[RusskyHoya]

Apr 13, 2022 9:26:24 GMT -5 DFW HOYA said:

This one comes out of the blue: Henle Village to be razed in 2023.

thehoya.com/georgetown-to-construct-new-henle-village-offer-increased-campus-housing/

But where are all the rats supposed to go?!?!

[RusskyHoya]

Courtesy Georgetown | 55 H. St, which is set to open in August, will offer undergraduate and graduate students apartment style units in downtown Washington, D.C. near the U.S. Capitol and the National Mall.

Walking distance to the Capitol, hard to beat that if you're a Hill Creature.

[Bigs"R"Us]

Please tear down Harbin.

[KenteKrazies]

[Filo]

Apr 13, 2022 9:26:24 GMT -5 DFW HOYA said:

This one comes out of the blue: Henle Village to be razed in 2023.

thehoya.com/georgetown-to-construct-new-henle-village-offer-increased-campus-housing/

We had been hearing that Henle was one of the few dorms that received only superficial improvements recently, since it was going to be torn down. Guess that was accurate.


My son is in Henle now. What a pit.

[LizziebethHoya]

Why Henle and now some of the more unfortunate looking structures (looking right at the picture of Darnall when typing this)? Georgetown starting to look like a bit...densely packed.

[DFW HOYA]

Apr 14, 2022 11:26:45 GMT -5 LizziebethHoya said:

Why Henle and not some of the more unfortunate looking structures (looking right at the picture of Darnall when typing this)? Georgetown starting to look like a bit...densely packed.

The housing management business will generally look at three factors whether to build, renovate, or kick the can on a property: 1) the book value of the asset, 2) the condition of the asset, and 3) the density of the property. In this examination, Henle (and one other property described below) are good targets for a raze and rebuild.

First, Henle opened in 1976, the result of a $3.8 million HUD grant which was expiring and a litigious neighborhood community who didn't want them building an apartment complex outside the gates (where Village B/Alumni Square later ended up). If Georgetown depreciated the buildings at either 27 or 39 years, it's fully accounted for. (According to the HOYA, a nine month lease in 1976 would set you back $1,220.)

Next, what's the condition of the asset? Apartments are generally worn out after 20-25 years, and very little has been done to the property over the years. As one of two properties at GU in the 1970's built on a federal grant, it was low-bid and not as well constructed as private firms would have done. Georgetown probably knew that the condition of the buildings necessitated a raze or rebuild in the next decade as opposed to Darnall, which was built a decade earlier but with better construction and more upkeep over the years.

The value-add for this decision is the density, that is, how many students (read: marginal revenue) can you put on the square footage. Darnall has 336 beds and to increase that you either build up (well above seven floors) or out (which is constrained by the Cloisters on one side and the hospital on the other.) Same with Harbin: 640 beds and you don't gain any marginal increase unless it goes up or out. By contrast, the Henle project increases the capacity from 468 to 746 without any additional loss of land or height concerns (the buildings are the approximate point of view that the current apartments have). The marginal gain in capacity is (in current dollars) a gain of $3.4 million a year in room revenue without any impact to existing square footage elsewhere on the campus. Henle is the lowest priced apartment/townhouse currently offered ($6,140 per semester, or approximately 10x the cost if those who lived there in 1976) and you can be sure the price goes up when it opens. In short, it checks the boxes: a new asset that increases usage without impacting square footage elsewhere, and one which brings in additional marginal revenue.

There's another 1970's era HUD project on campus, in equally poor condition, which should get a closer look. Village A was build on the cheap in 1980 with some designs that would not fly today: the wheelchair-accessible units were all placed on the top floor, for example. It's old and wasn't build for the long run. However, the sheer square footage from the library to New South and all the way to Prospect Street, is a huge chunk of land that could frankly be better suited to Georgetown than mere housing, and offers intriguing ideas--a huge academic complex for one, a new footprint for the next generation of Yates and/or McDonough, or a first-ever residential college. But you can't even consider such big ideas without addressing the requirements for on-campus housing and the squeeze to get people on campus per the Campus Plan. Adding 278 beds to Henle and fully converting the conference center hotel to dorm space (292 beds) gives Georgetown something it sorely needs: options.

[DallasHoya]

Apr 14, 2022 12:55:04 GMT -5 DFW HOYA said:

Apr 14, 2022 11:26:45 GMT -5 LizziebethHoya said:

Why Henle and not some of the more unfortunate looking structures (looking right at the picture of Darnall when typing this)? Georgetown starting to look like a bit...densely packed.

There's another 1970's era HUD project on campus, in equally poor condition, which should get a closer look. Village A was build on the cheap in 1980 with some designs that would not fly today: the wheelchair-accessible units were all placed on the top floor, for example. It's old and wasn't build for the long run. However, the sheer square footage from the library to New South and all the way to Prospect Street, is a huge chunk of land that could frankly be better suited to Georgetown than mere housing, and offers intriguing ideas--a huge academic complex for one, a new footprint for the next generation of Yates and/or McDonough, or a first-ever residential college. But you can't even consider such big ideas without addressing the requirements for on-campus housing and the squeeze to get people on campus per the Campus Plan. Adding 278 beds to Henle and fully converting the conference center hotel to dorm space (292 beds) gives Georgetown something it sorely needs: options.

I was part of the first group who moved into Village A in the fall of 1979. It was a dump from the day it first opened, which was weeks late, with GU forcing us to live in motels in Arlington until it was “ready.” The ceiling in our apartment was caving in by the second semester. Amazed it’s still standing.

[Filo]

Apr 14, 2022 14:44:42 GMT -5 DallasHoya said:

Apr 14, 2022 12:55:04 GMT -5 DFW HOYA said:

There's another 1970's era HUD project on campus, in equally poor condition, which should get a closer look. Village A was build on the cheap in 1980 with some designs that would not fly today: the wheelchair-accessible units were all placed on the top floor, for example. It's old and wasn't build for the long run. However, the sheer square footage from the library to New South and all the way to Prospect Street, is a huge chunk of land that could frankly be better suited to Georgetown than mere housing, and offers intriguing ideas--a huge academic complex for one, a new footprint for the next generation of Yates and/or McDonough, or a first-ever residential college. But you can't even consider such big ideas without addressing the requirements for on-campus housing and the squeeze to get people on campus per the Campus Plan. Adding 278 beds to Henle and fully converting the conference center hotel to dorm space (292 beds) gives Georgetown something it sorely needs: options.

I was part of the first group who moved into Village A in the fall of 1979. It was a dump from the day it first opened, which was weeks late, with GU forcing us to live in motels in Arlington until it was “ready.” The ceiling in our apartment was caving in by the second semester. Amazed it’s still standing.

We didn't even notice any of that while we were there in the mid to late 80s. LOL. Had great Vill A apartments junior and senior year. What amazing times. And memories.

[HoyaRejuveNation85]

Apr 14, 2022 15:46:00 GMT -5 Filo said:

Apr 14, 2022 14:44:42 GMT -5 DallasHoya said:

I was part of the first group who moved into Village A in the fall of 1979. It was a dump from the day it first opened, which was weeks late, with GU forcing us to live in motels in Arlington until it was “ready.” The ceiling in our apartment was caving in by the second semester. Amazed it’s still standing.

We didn't even notice any of that while we were there in the mid to late 80s. LOL. Had great Vill A apartments junior and senior year. What amazing times. And memories.

Agreed, Filo. Village A was popular in the mid80s and remains so, particularly the rooftops, for one of my sons today.

[Elvado]

I loved my Henle apartment.