The residence hall at 2034 G Street is the third student-housing structure scheduled to be demolished for construction on a parking garage and a law school building, a University administrator confirmed last week.
Executive Vice President and Treasurer Lou Katz said last week the University has submitted plans for the parking garage to the D.C. Zoning Commission, and added that an architecture firm – Perkins and Will – has been retained to design the $25 million below-ground parking garage. The garage will be constructed on square 103, located between 20th and 21st streets and F and G streets. After the parking garage is complete, the University will begin moving forward with plans to build another law school building above the garage, Katz said.
Katz said the University hopes to begin construction on the parking garage as soon as possible, so that when the University Parking Garage on H Street is knocked down to construct the proposed Science and Engineering Complex, there will be another place for parking on the Foggy Bottom campus.
Two townhouses – the Lambda Chi Alpha townhouse and the Phi Sigma Sigma townhouse – will be knocked down as part of the garage’s construction. A third building, the Sustainability and Environmental Education House at 2034 G Street, will also be torn down for the construction.
Students currently living in 2034 G Street had mixed responses about the loss of the residence hall to graduate academic space and a parking garage.
Alexandria Caine, the residence hall’s Residential Advisory Council president, said she would be more supportive of the project if it directly benefited her as an undergraduate student.
“They’re tearing this [residence hall] down to build a law building which is fine, except it’s obnoxious because it doesn’t do anything for us,” she said.
In recent years, the building had housed engineering students. Junior Michael Zarella, who lived in the residence hall his freshman year, said despite the engineering friends he made living in the building, he will be happy to see the worn-down building gone.
“I’m not going to say I’m sad to see it go because it was a little bit of an unpleasant place to live, especially if you get one of the smaller rooms, so it wasn’t really too enticing to live there,” he said.
Despite the condition of the residence hall, other students living in 2034 G Street felt the University will be robbing students of an alternative living option on campus.
“It’s kind of a shame because I feel like it was a nice spot on campus, a hidden little gem for kids who might not have wanted a crazy Foggy Bottom experience and just wanted a little bit more community,” said freshman Andrew Hor. “So I think it’s kind of a shame that the school’s taking that away.”
Fellow freshman Akshar Patel said he felt deeply saddened at the prospect of GW tearing down his freshman year residence hall.
“I think it’s going to be a really sad day for GW,” Patel said. “This place has meant so much to us. I’m serious, I really love this place.”
