Readers of this blog are no doubt aware of the exciting developments on Georgetown’s Capitol Campus, including the opening in August of the 111 Massachusetts Avenue building (see: “Anticipating the Opening of 111 Massachusetts Avenue on the Capitol Campus”). But anticipating the opening of the new building means reflecting well on the closing of another, the 640 Massachusetts Avenue home of the School of Continuing Studies since 2013. With a Farewell to 640 Celebration planned for July 29 (RSVP here) and an invitation to share your memories of 640 (upload here), I wanted to share some perspectives about the meaning of this campus location from a broader view of the University’s mission and values. Sharing these perspectives involves my own personal and professional experiences of the building and its many spaces.
A thoughtful study of the built environment includes evaluating why certain physical structures have particular historical or cultural features worth preserving. We often think of only certain types of facilities worthy of this kind of designation, especially buildings with notable historical, cultural, artistic, or religious significance. In this way, the highly modern, rehabilitated, and redesigned four floors of the 640 SCS campus, embedded in a larger office building, do not necessarily possess historical attributes of a building worthy of historical preservation. But the 640 campus location does carry significance for its enduring meaning in the life of Georgetown University. A July 2012 Georgetown web story, “University Announces Expansion of ‘Georgetown Downtown’ Presence,” reveals the University’s mission-based vision for the growth of SCS and increasing presence in this area of the city. President Emeritus John J. DeGioia reflected on this meaning and said: “This new home provides us with an opportunity to extend the impact of the university into new parts of the city and to broaden the reach of our work. We are excited to be aligning our interests with this vibrant and growing city.”
Operating for more than a decade in a dynamic area of downtown Washington, D.C., we can confidently say that 640 has become a home. I can remember the first time I entered the building in 2014 when I interviewed for a staff position in the Master’s Program in Urban & Regional Planning: I was struck by the building’s light and air, polished modern amenities, and the surprising way that the dynamic modern environment pointed my attentions back to Georgetown’s long history and heritage as a Jesuit institution of higher learning. I knew then, and continue to know as we embark on a new phase of Georgetown’s life, that our Catholic and Jesuit mission, with its abiding commitment to interreligious dialogue and multifaith programming, would be animated in a distinctly Ignatian way in this urban campus location.
So many events, programs, courses, and convenings have marked the building’s faithful commitment to a vision of an urban campus rooted in our Jesuit heritage of being people for others with an orientation to a faith that does justice. I particularly recall when the campus building was used for community service and learning, including a December 2019 experiential training and street outreach event for people experiencing homelessness (see: “SCS Day of Service Puts Spotlight on Homelessness in the Downtown”). I recall times when the building became a place for cross-cultural community-building and exchange (see: “English Language Center Hosts Annual Panel About Thanksgiving Traditions” and “When Networking Helps Meet the Mission: LeMoyne College Visits SCS”). And I will especially remember the many times that the atrium space was reimagined as a banquet for delicious food, celebration, and fellowship (see “Savoring the Season: Scenes of Joy from the SCS Student and Faculty Holiday Party” and “A Week of Welcomes: SCS Opens Its Doors and Its Heart”).
But I will remember most the human connections and the relationships of meaning that occurred in this building. I will savor the memories of staff-organized potlucks, with colleagues in pre-COVID 19 times regaling in each other’s company over a diverse, homemade spread of delicious food. I will savor the memories of learning the craft of teaching in the classrooms of 640 and getting to know new students semester after semester as they began their academic journeys at Georgetown. I will savor the memories of growing the bonds of colleagueship with other staff and faculty through spontaneous interactions, impromptu communal uses of the space (like watching the World Cup on the projector in the atrium), and planned gatherings like all-staff meetings and new student orientations. I will also remember my particular trip to campus, enjoying (usually!) my walk up and down 7th Street from the Gallery Place Metro Station. I will remember the feeling of pride at showing friends and family the incredible learning spaces in 640 and watching as visitors marveled at the touch and feel of a truly technologically-enabled modern urban campus building.
Buildings are more than buildings if we take to heart that it is the people who make the physical experience of a place into something much more. I have found my own deeper connection to Georgetown’s mission, heritage, and identity through the people I have encountered at 640. I feel such an enormous privilege to have called 640 home for a little over a decade. And now I’m ready for another home at Georgetown, and I pray that 111 Massachusetts Avenue will become a home to so many in the way that 640 has been one for me, my community of colleagues, and a generation of Georgetown students.