The first building to be erected as part of the CUA campus was Caldwell Hall. On May 24, 1888 the cornerstone was laid for this building, known then as Divinity Hall. The building was completed in 1889, and would eventually house scholars such as Fr.…

This shows a different perspective of the exterior of Caldwell Hall. The exterior of the chapel is also visible.

This is an interior view of the chapel in Caldwell Hall.

In 1901 CUA’s second Rector, Thomas Conaty, was well aware that the University needed a separate library building. Construction of the library would not start until the 1920’s, with the first phase being completed in 1928. All phases of the…

Cardinal Gibbons blessed the foundation stone of the Shrine on September 23, 1920 with over 10,000 people gathered to watch. However, after completion of the Crypt Church in 1926, construction halted until 1953 due to the Great Depression and World…

This map shows the District of Columbia (and surrounding areas) about 90 years before the opening of CUA. Prior to the University's founding, the immediate area went from Native to Colonial land, passed ownership a number of times, played host to…

This map shows the roads in the Washington D.C. area in 1863. Ft. Slemmer, which would be behind Marist Hall on the far north end of CUA’s campus, can be seen in the remote area to the north and east of the downtown area.

On the grassy hill between McMahon Hall and the Pryzbyla Center is where in 1803 Samuel Harrison Smith and his wife Margaret Bayard Smith built a manor house that would later serve as one of CUA’s early campus buildings. The Smith property, later…

Next to Curly Court you will see what remains of the Astronomical Observatory. The observatory was built in 1890 and it stood as the highest point on campus when it was built. Its dome was 15 feet in diameter, and it was equipped with a telescope…