Reimagine Thurston Hall

COVID-19 Update
The renovation of Thurston Hall is key to creating a preeminent student experience at GW. Thurston will close for renovations in spring 2020 and will re-open in fall 2022. This renovation is the only university capital project moving forward at this time. GW has a duty to care for current and future students. We aim to create an environment where students can be both physically and mentally healthy, a top priority now more than ever. GW and our partners at Clark Construction remain committed to safety and health across our entire campus.

Thurston Hall is a GW icon. For more than 50 years, it has played a central role in campus life, through thousands of relationships, stories, and shared memories. Named for the first female undergraduate student at GW, Mabel Nelson Thurston, AB 1891, AM 1893, Thurston Hall has developed a stature on campus unlike any other.

Time and significant use have taken their toll. Thurston currently houses nearly 40% of first-year undergraduate students, and now, more than ever, the health of our students needs to be a top priority. The renovation will create a physically and mentally healthy place for these students to call home while at GW.

Thurston Nameplate #211, shown in a glass display case.

3 stars Thurston Hall Room Plate Auction

While Thurston holds a place in your heart, now you can call part of this GW icon your own. Bid on your room number in the Thurston Hall Room Plate Auction from March 2-12 and make your residence there permanent.

Thurston Auction

Tour the Reimagined Thurston Hall

By upgrading the building’s infrastructure, we aim to produce new and inviting social, academic, and residential spaces for students to live and learn. This will create a more functional, sustainable, and community-oriented space for current and future generations of GW students.

Thurston Hall Infographic Completion Date
Thurston Hall Infographic Amenities
Thurston Infographic Fresh Air
Thurston Infographic Square Feet

Thurston Memories Anchor

Share Your Thurston Memory

Thurston Hall sign

“I met a girl at the bench in front of Thurston Hall. She was also a freshman living in Thurston. She became the love of my life.”

-Paul Cohen, CCAS BA ‘73, CCAS MFA ‘75

Thurston Hall today

“It was early in my freshman year (1979) when The Boss took over the dorm. Someone, somewhere in Thurston Hall decided to have an impromptu Bruce Springsteen ‘concert’ of sorts, blasting music through an open window. It was impossible to be in that building and not hear the music.”

-Mary Ellen Webb, CCAS BA ’83

“I have many memories of Thurston, being that I spent three out of my four years at GW living there: my first year as a freshman resident and my junior and senior years as a resident assistant (RA). We had movie nights and study nights and hang-out-and-do-nothing nights.”

-Kristin Clancy, CCAS BA ‘98

Join generations of Thurston residents in reminiscing about Thurston! Share your meaningful Thurston experiences and how they had an impact on you and your time at GW.

Share Your Thurston Memories

Join the Legacy Anchor

Join the Legacy of Thurston Hall

For decades, Thurston Hall has had a significant impact on GW students and campus life. Now you can be a part of its transformation to revitalize the GW student experience for generations to come.

The reimagined Thurston Hall includes a broad range of naming opportunities and other opportunities at all levels to contribute to the improvement of our community. We also hope to be able to offer you an opportunity to keep a little piece of Thurston with you forever.

Give to Thurston Hall Renovation

To learn more about how you can contribute and leave your legacy in the reimagined Thurston Hall, please reach out now to Sarah (Lefferts) Fosdick, GWSB BBA ‘09, CCAS MA ‘16 at 202-994-0665 or [email protected].

Thank you to everyone in our community who has already contributed to this project!

Receive Thurston Updates

GW President Thomas J. LeBlanc

"This project is a signature statement about the importance of the residential, on-campus student experience. The new Thurston will completely reimagine what urban campus living will look like. We want to make sure our students have a first-class facility to go with their first-class experience. Anne and I firmly believe in the value of a reimagined Thurston, which is why we have decided to personally contribute to this project."