American University

See also the American University in Cairo and American University of Beirut

Campus

AU has two campuses: the main campus and the Tenley Campus. Additionally, AU owns several buildings in the Tenleytown area, as well as the Washington College of Law building. In cooperation with Capital Properties, AU operates Park Bethesda, a 258-unit luxury apartment complex in Bethesda, Maryland to house graduate and upperclassmen.

Related Topics:
Tenleytown - Bethesda, Maryland

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Main campus

AU's main campus occupies 84 acres (340,000 m²) in a residential neighborhood of Northwest Washington, D.C., at Ward Circle, the intersection of Nebraska and Massachusetts Avenues. Highlights of the campus include a main quadrangle surrounded by several academic buildings, six residential halls, a 5,000-seat arena, and an outdoor amphitheatre.

Related Topics:
Acre - Northwest - Ward Circle - Massachusetts Avenue - Amphitheatre

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The major and notable buildings include the following:

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• Jack I. and Dorothy G. Bender Library and Learning Resources Center
• Mary Graydon Center, home to the main dining facilities, student organization offices, and the School of Communications. A history of the building
• Abbey Joel Butler Pavilion, administrative offices for the Office of Campus Life
• Sports Center: Bender Arena, Reeves Aquatic Center
• School of International Services, ground broken by President Dwight Eisenhower. A new building is slated to begin construction in 2006.
• Hurst Hall, ground was broken for this first building in 1896 for what was to be the College of History.
• McKinley Building, had its cornerstone laid by President Theodore Roosevelt. Currently the home of the department of Computer Science, Audio Technology, and Physics. Slated to become the new home to the School of Communications.
• Battelle-Tompkins Building, formerly the library until 1977 and now home to the College of Arts and Sciences.
• Ward Circle Building, built in 1968 as a home for the School of Government and Public Administration (now the School of Public Affairs). The largest classroom building on campus.
• Watkins Art Building, home to AU arts programs, named after former art department chair Charles Watkins. Will be replaced by the new Katzen Arts Center.
• Kay Spiritual Life Center, a nondenominational place of worship built in 1963, it is the home to the University Chaplains and is used for speeches and performances.
• Kogod School of Business, formerly known as the Myers-Hutchins Building, and previous home to the Washington College of Law. Is set to annex the now empty Experimental Theatre and Butler Instructional Center in 2006.
• Residences: There are 6 residence halls on the main campus, capable of housing approximately 3000 students. Anderson, Letts and Centennial halls make up the southern cluster of residence halls, and Leonard, McDowell and Hughes halls make up the northern cluster of residence halls. A Moai statue from Easter Islandhttp://www.american.edu/tour/images/moai.jpg, received as a gift from the Embassy of Chile, sits between McDowell and Hughes halls, and is the center of several campus traditions.
• Katzen Arts Center, Provided for by a monetary gift from Cyrus and Myrtle Katzen, the Katzen Arts Center opened in 2005 and is now home to the Department of Performing Arts, the American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center, as well as other Academic Departments.

Former buildings include:

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• Leonard Learning Center/Cassell Center
• Clendenen Hall

Tenley campus

This campus, formerly the Immaculate School, is located half a mile east of the main campus, and was purchased by American University in 1987. During the academic year, Tenley Campus is home to the Washington Semester Program students, and during the summer, American University uses the residence halls for summer interns. Administratively, Tenley Campus is home to the Washington Semester Program, the Office of Development, University Publications, and Media Relations.

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• Capital Hall, the oldest and most ornate of the Tenley Campus buildings, it houses 170 students, a fitness center and the stained glass chapel that is used for dance and music recitals.
• Congressional Hall, with 156 students, contains the central reception desk for the Tenley Campus
• Federal Hall, housing 107 students, contains the mailroom and the cafeteria on its first floor.
• Dunblane House, a small administrative building.
• Constituion Building, an administrative building.
• A sports field used for intramural sport matches.