by Shoshana Davis
Special Projects Reporter

The buildings we attend classes in, reside in and pass daily did not just pop up over night ­ or did they? In the 1930s GWıs campus changed dramatically, with a construction boom led by President Cloyd Heck Marvin. The focus of the construction was on the 2000 block of G Street.

A $200,000 dollar gift from Ms. Hattie Strong to build a womenıs dormitory initiated the building frenzy. After two years of construction, Strong Hall, located at 620 21st St., was dedicated on May 7, 1937. The building was the first residence hall to be built by GW in Foggy Bottom. The completion of Strong Hall was the first step toward President Marvinıs dream that the campus should become residential and be able to house many of the Universityıs students. Previously, many students lived in private residences or student boarding houses.

Following the construction of Strong Hall, GW took strides to build new academic buildings, including Bell and Stuart halls. When construction began in 1934, Bell Hall was named the Biological Sciences Hall. University documents indicated that the blue prints for the building did not include an architectıs name. It is suspected that the architect might have been President Marvin, or perhaps the architects of Stuart Hall, Edwin Weihle and R.D. Barnes. This was not an unfounded assumption because a year later, in 1935, Gilbert Stuart Hall opened for student use. These two G Street buildings were virtually identical and were similar to the basic structure of 1930s Washington office buildings.

Construction next moved down the street to the intersection of 21st and G streets. The corner stone of the Hall of Government was laid on May 18, 1938. The building was a gift from Mrs. Henry Strong, a trustee of the University, and was built by Charles H. Tompkins, namesake of the Tompkins School of Engineering. Like the other buildings GW built during this time period, the Hall of Government was a model for the basic structure and style of construction during the 1930s. The buildings were architecturally simple in order to alleviate construction during a period of post-Depression economic recovery.

On June 1, 1939, Lisner Library, where Lisner Hall is located today, opened as the Universityıs first building used solely as a library. Waldron Faulkner, a notable D.C. architect, designed the building and also built by Tompkins. The University librarian at the time, Russell Mason, helped to ensure that the building was qualified to serve as the library for students and faculty, alike.