Georgetown’s Healy Hall in Pen and Watercolor
Not so long ago I was commissioned to create a painting of this beautiful historic landmark.
I thought you might like to know more about the history of Healy Hall and Georgetown University. I found the Washington DC National Register of Historic Places website to be very informative and much of the information below is from this source.
Founded in 1789, Georgetown University is the oldest Catholic University in America. It has been administered by the Society of Jesus since 1805. The first buildings were built around the “old quadrangle,” including Healy Hall, which was constructed between 1877–1909. It was designed by Smithmeyer and Pelz. Rev. Patrick S. Healy took on the Healy Hall project and oversaw its construction as well the substantial fundraising. As a result the building was completed in several stages. The building houses the Gaston Hall auditorium and the Riggs Library which has a 200-foot-high central clock spire and a smaller, secondary spire on its southwest corner. The library was recently restored. The Old North Building, begun in 1792, the Chapel of the Sacred Heart, a row of brick academic buildings and the old Infirmary form the other sides of the old quadrangle.
Here are some photos inside Healy Hall. Talk about stunning!
The first parcel of land that was to become Georgetown University was acquired in 1789 by a committee of five clergymen. On this 1 ½ acre the committee began to construct the first university building which was ready for occupancy in 1791. Referred to as “Old South,” it was torn down at the turn of the 20th century. The first students enrolled in September, 1791 and by the end of the school year, the enrollment was 66 students. In 1793, an additional two acres was purchased to provide a site for what is now know as the Old North Building which was used as a dormitory and refectory for boarding students. In 1805 the Society of Jesus was reestablished in the United States and took over the administration of the college from the Corporation of the Clergy of Maryland. Georgetown University remains a Jesuit school today. By the early 19th century the College was firmly established as a leading Catholic educational institution, and in 1815 a congressional act raised the rank of Georgetown from a college to university.
You can also go to the DC National Register of Historic Places website . http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/wash/dc13.htm
Ciao for now,
Leisa
