New turf and landscaping in Square 80, redesigns to residence hall lobbies and tables outside Rome and Phillips Halls are among the upgrades officials made to campus spaces over the summer.
Renovation projects — which spanned at least six buildings and three major event spaces — included continued progress on Gelman Library’s multiyear HVAC upgrade, which shut down the building for a second consecutive summer and renovations to Bell Hall following years of faculty and student complaints about poor conditions, like mold, ceiling leaks and pests. Officials also replaced Square 80’s natural grass with a “water-permeable turf” to reduce maintenance and “down-times” associated with traditional grass, according to University spokesperson Skyler Sales.
Sales said the revamped Square 80, which will have “substantial completion” ahead of the fall semester, will also include new landscaping alongside the new water-permeable turf. Officials are also expanding Square 80 by removing fencing between the square and Lenthall Houses and 2101 F Street, adding tables and chairs in the newly accessible spaces.
“Removing existing fencing, enhancing landscaping and adding seating to this area creates a new community green space and further maximizes previous efforts at this site to lessen stormwater runoff impact,” Sales said in an email.
Sales said the University does not disclose the cost of renovation projects.
Student Government Association President Ethan Lynne said upgrades, like the revamped Square 80, new seating options throughout campus and updated classrooms are a result of increased advocacy from the SGA for officials to make campus improvements.
Lynne said the SGA proposed the upgrades following a joint walkthrough with Facilities Planning, Construction and Management officials in August 2024. Lynne said SGA members collected notes for improvements they wanted to see and finalized campus changes with University President Ellen Granberg, Dean of Students Colette Coleman and facilities leadership last spring.
“This is one of those times that proves student advocacy can work if done correctly,” Lynne said in a text message.
Among the SGA proposed “campus beautification” projects were a refresh to the University Student Center — like adding “pops of color” through new paint, wall coverings and more artwork throughout the building — and upgrades to 14 classrooms in Rome and Phillips Halls with new flooring, lighting, seating and updated technology.
The SGA and University officials also developed a “standard design package” for residence hall lobbies to create a “consistent” student experience, according to an Instagram post announcing the changes. The post said updated residence hall lobbies will look similar to the recent Thurston Hall renovations, complete with colorful painted walls, D.C. imagery and brand new lighting and furniture, but will aim for a “complementary aesthetic” rather than an exact match.
Officials updated the lobbies to Guthridge and FSK Halls over the summer and plan to apply the same design to Mitchell Hall when it reopens following a complete building renovation throughout the 2025-26 academic year, according to the SGA post.
Officials also announced in February that they would close Gelman Library from May 17 to Aug. 17 to continue a “significant” HVAC maintenance project, making it the second summer in a row the library has closed for HVAC repairs. Gelman will close again during the summer of 2026 to complete the maintenance project, according to the library’s website.
In the February email announcing the library’s closure, Vice President for Safety and Operations Baxter Goodly said the renovations are part of an “extensive” maintenance project to improve the library’s infrastructure.
“The completion of this project in 2026 will ensure a more sustainable and comfortable environment for our academic community, but it will require closing the Gelman building for periods of time outside the regular academic year,” the February email read.
The Gelman repairs continue a string of HVAC renovations officials have completed in recent years, including replacing HVAC systems in the Corcoran Flagg Building and the Lerner Health and Wellness Center over the summer of 2022, closing the fourth floor of the School of Media & Public Affairs for two weeks in 2023 to complete HVAC upgrades and repairing USC and Rome Hall systems over the summer of 2024.
Officials also began renovations on Bell Hall on May 19, with upgrades to the building’s HVAC system on the third and fourth floors, window replacements for the whole building, new flooring and refinished walls and furniture and technology upgrades in four classrooms.
Division of Safety and Operations Customer Engagement and Service Enhancement Specialist John Ralls said officials were set to complete Bell Hall renovations by “late summer.”
“The decision to make these upgrades is part of an ongoing review process of budget and priorities with the goal of providing facilities that support the university’s academic mission,” Ralls said in an email.
The upgrades began following years of complaints from community members about issues with the building, like black mold, asbestos, ceiling leaks, pests and malfunctioning windows. More than a dozen graduate biology students wrote a letter to Columbian College of Arts & Sciences deans in December 2023 expressing their years of frustration and concern with the condition of Bell Hall.
“These conditions would be unacceptable anywhere but are particularly egregious at GWU, a prestigious institution that claims to have ‘state-of-the-art research facilities,’” the letter read.
Officials also closed Jack Morton Auditorium in the SMPA from June 1 to Aug. 10 for renovations. University officials did not return a request for comment on what renovations the auditorium is receiving.
The State Room — the usual meeting place for the Faculty Senate, and the City View Room, both located on the Elliot School of International Affairs seventh floor, also closed starting June 1 for “a major renovation project,” according to the GW website used for booking event spaces. Both rooms will remain closed through Dec. 31, 2025, according to the website.
University officials did not return a request for comment on what renovations the two rooms were receiving. Officials did not return a request for comment on where the Faculty Senate or other groups looking to utilize the space will meet while the State Room is undergoing renovations.
