Healy Hall Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Significant dates

Healy Hall
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark
U.S. National Historic Landmark District Contributing Property


Location in Washington, D.C. Show map of Washington, D.C. Location in the District of Columbia Show map of the District of Columbia Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.
Built	1877–1879
Architect	Smithmeyer and Pelz
Architectural style	Gothic Revival and Romanesque
Part of	Georgetown Historic District (ID67000025)
NRHP reference No.	71001003
Added to NRHP	May 25, 1971
Designated NHL	December 23, 1987
Designated NHLDCP	May 28, 1967

Healy Hall is a very important building at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.. It is known as a National Historic Landmark. This means it's a special place recognized for its history. It was built between 1877 and 1879. Two famous architects, Paul J. Pelz and John L. Smithmeyer, designed it. They also designed the Library of Congress. The building is named after Patrick Francis Healy, who was the president of Georgetown University when it was built.

Today, Healy Hall is where the university's main offices are. It also has some classrooms. Inside, you can find the Riggs Library, which is a rare library made of cast iron. There is also the amazing Gaston Hall, a large auditorium.

History of Healy Hall
Healy Hall's Architecture
Healy Hall Clock Hands
Image gallery
See also

History of Healy Hall

Healy Hall was built when Patrick Francis Healy was the president of Georgetown University. The building is named after him.

Building Healy Hall from 1877 to 1879 made the university much bigger. It added many new classrooms and places for students to live. Before Healy Hall, most of the university's classes and dorms were in the Old North. The construction of Healy Hall was very expensive. It left the university with a lot of debt. They even had a huge pile of dirt from digging that they couldn't afford to move! Because of these money problems, the Gaston Hall auditorium wasn't finished until 1909.

Healy Hall is a very important historical site. It was added to the District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites in 1964. Then, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. Finally, it became a National Historic Landmark in 1987. It is also part of the Georgetown Historic District, which is another famous historical area.

The building became well-known in 1973. It was shown in the background of the movie The Exorcist. Later, in 1990, parts of the inside of Healy Hall were used in The Exorcist III.

Healy Hall's Architecture

The Carroll Parlor, a study room for older students inside Healy Hall.

Healy Hall has many beautiful paintings from the university's art collection.

Healy Hall looks like an old castle. It mixes different styles like Romanesque and Gothic Revival. Inside, you'll find the President's office and other important departments.

Some famous rooms in Healy Hall include:

Riggs Library: This is one of the few libraries in the country made of cast iron.
Philodemic Room: This is where the Philodemic Society meets. It's one of the oldest student debating clubs in the country.
Hall of Cardinals: A grand and impressive room.
Constitution Room: A historic room.
Carroll Parlor: This room has many important artworks from the university's collection.

The most magnificent room is probably Gaston Hall. It's often called Georgetown's "Jewel in the Crown." This large auditorium can seat 750 people. Many world leaders have spoken here. Gaston Hall is on the third and fourth floors. It is named after William Gaston, Georgetown's first student. The hall is decorated with the coats of arms of different Jesuit colleges. It also has beautiful allegorical paintings by a famous Jesuit artist, Brother Francis C. Schroen. He also painted the detailed art in the Carroll Parlor.

Healy Hall is very tall. It stands about 200 feet (61 meters) high. This makes it one of the tallest buildings in Washington, D.C.

Healy Hall Clock Hands

The clock hands on Healy Hall's tower have been stolen many times! This is a fun tradition at the university. In the past, students would steal the hands and mail them to someone they wanted to visit the campus. Once, they were even sent to the Vatican! There, Pope John Paul II blessed them before they were returned to the university.

One time, a theft caused a lot of damage to the clock. Because of this, security has been made stronger. This has made it harder to steal the hands. However, students still manage to get them every few years. For example, they were taken in 2005, 2012, 2014, and 2017. In 2012, the hands were supposedly sent to Barack Obama but got lost in the mail.

Some people have even written about their experiences stealing the clock hands. Dean M. Carignan wrote about doing it in 1988. He and a friend got into the clock through a metal plate on the roof. They were caught by campus security. They had to pay a fine and do community service.

The writer Joseph Bottum also wrote about stealing the clock hands in 1977. He and his friends climbed through a secret door above Gaston Hall. They took the hands from one side of the clock. They returned them to the university president at the end of the school year. The next year, Bottum and a friend found another way into Healy Hall. They crawled through ducts above Riggs Library to steal more clock hands.