Title: Georgetown Unveils Interdisciplinary Building in Downtown DC

Georgetown celebrated the opening of its new educational hub at 111 Massachusetts Ave. in downtown Washington, DC, on the university’s Capitol Campus on Oct. 20.

At a ribbon-cutting ceremony, Georgetown Interim President Robert M. Groves was joined by university and local leaders, including DC Mayor Muriel Bowser, DC Councilmember Charles Allen, Councilmember Christina Henderson, Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie, Georgetown board of directors member Edward Cohen (L’70) and Georgetown Chief Operating Officer David Green.

“This is an important building for us. Almost all the schools of the university have footprints in this building, so we are excited about having people from different disciplines, different fields next to one another, having those chance encounters that bring two minds together and invent new human knowledge that they never would have created by themselves,” Groves said. 

The new space is the home of the School of Continuing Studies and the Earth Commons Institute. The building will also house the Capitol Applied Learning Labs as well as programs from the McDonough School of Business, the Berkley School of Nursing and the School of Health.

The building will serve as an interdisciplinary hub on the Capitol Campus as it convenes faculty and students across the university while bringing together scholars, policymakers, practitioners, business executives and other leaders from the nation’s capital.

In her remarks, Bowser explained the importance of institutions of higher education in attracting and training talent to match with new opportunities in DC’s shifting labor environment.

“For two centuries, Georgetown has been woven into the fabric of our city from the Hilltop to Georgetown Law, the McCourt School just down the street and now right here off of the H Street Corridor,” Bowser said. “We have had the opportunity to work with Georgetown’s leadership of being the anchor here on the east side of downtown, and we have been very proud to build our own plans for the city around Georgetown’s investment.” 

The event hosted many other stakeholders across local government, business and community organizations, from the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education, Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, Department of Buildings (DOB), Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP), Mayor’s Office of Community Relations and Services (MOCRS), DC Economic Partnership, Board of Trade, Gonzaga High School, the Government Publishing Office (GPO), the Community for Creative Non-Violence, the Mount Vernon Triangle Community Improvement District, DowntownDC Business Improvement District, and the NoMa Business Improvement District.

Allen, the councilmember for DC’s Ward 6 which includes the Capitol Campus, shared his belief that Georgetown’s new presence at 111 Massachusetts Ave. and in downtown DC would add a vibrancy to the neighborhood and community.

“Every day, there will be thousands of students here and at the McCourt School,” Allen said in his remarks at the ceremony. “We’re going to see so many people who activate this space. It’s going to be a wonderful thing for our city, especially for this community.” 

The building features modern classroom spaces, meeting spaces, student lounges and study areas.

Last week, Georgetown also opened the Campus Store on the first floor of the building. The 5,600-square-foot store, operated by Barnes & Noble College, sells books, merchandise, snacks and gifts. Across the street from 111 Massachusetts Ave., DC is renovating Cobb Park to feature new landscaping, walking paths and a playground that will serve as a center for community activity in the neighborhood.

111 Massachusetts Ave. also includes modern sustainability features like LED-only lighting and modern electrical outlets that are automatically controlled by room occupancy sensors to reduce energy waste. The building has an underground parking garage with electric vehicle charging stations and priority parking for fuel-efficient vehicles. Its garage offers parking for bikes to encourage alternative forms of transportation.

On the roof of 111 Massachusetts Ave. are vegetated spaces with native landscaping that promotes biodiversity without the need for mowing, permanent irrigation, fertilizers or pesticides. The building’s surrounding light-colored pavement also reduces the temperature around the building and minimizes the heat island effect, which would otherwise cause increased energy consumption for cooling.

The building is currently seeking a Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification, which recognizes the building’s energy efficiency, cost-savings and carbon emissions reduction.

This semester, Georgetown welcomed the first cohort of students in the BS in Environment & Sustainability program to the Capitol Campus. In the joint program between the Earth Commons and the College of Arts & Sciences, students spend their first two years on the Hilltop Campus before heading to the Capitol Campus to study environmental science, policy and other interdisciplinary fields in spaces such as 111 Massachusetts Ave.

The opening of 111 Massachusetts Ave. comes as Georgetown expands its presence in downtown DC with its Capitol Campus, bringing new academic programs, research centers and convening spaces into the heart of the nation’s capital. Last year, the McCourt School of Public Policy relocated to its new home at 125 E St. Groves said in his remarks that he hopes the Capitol Campus location will enable students to become more engaged with and contribute to the well-being of the city.

“The Capitol Campus is becoming an ecosystem. It’s laying the foundation for the university to have what we hope is a greater impact on this city, our nation and our world,” Groves said.