Georgetown University’s newest residential complex opened its doors to students this fall, prompting student excitement for an alternative to off-campus and older on-campus housing options. 

The new dormitory site, which replaced Henle Village, opened after more than two years of construction, with housing capacity for up to 780 students in apartment-style units with kitchens and living spaces. The construction of the complex — which includes Byrnes, Hayden and Henle Halls — was funded in part through a $20 million donation from graduates William Byrnes (MSB ’72, LAW ’81) and Lisa Byrnes (SLL ’80).  

Lily Marino (CAS ’26), a Byrnes Hall resident, said living on campus as a senior makes her feel more connected to the Georgetown community. 

“One of the things I liked the most about Georgetown was the fact that its campus is kind of consolidated,” Marino told The Hoya. “And so I always really liked living on campus; I liked being near everything, I liked feeling like I was always kind of in it.”

Claire Auslander (SON ’26), a senior living in Hayden Hall, said she opted to live in the new residential complex because of its central location and proximity to buildings on the north end of campus, such as St. Mary’s Hall. 

“The convenience for me was a major factor — I feel like it’s right next to everything that I utilize the most,” Auslander told The Hoya. “As a nursing student, I’m in St. Mary’s a lot. It’s also right next to the hospital where a lot of my clinical placements are.”

Auslander added that the hall’s lobby space, which includes study dens, lounge chairs, skylights and a pool table, makes Hayden and Byrnes feel more communal.  

“It feels very conducive to both being able to do work and group projects and solo work, but also kind of have fun with friends,” Auslander said. “And it also feels like people are keeping it a space where you can still run into people in the lobby, which is kind of nice.” 

Juliana Melara-Recinos (CAS ’27), a Byrnes resident, said having study space available in her dormitory’s lobby prevents her from having to walk alone late at night. 

“Not that campus is unsafe, but as a woman you’re always thinking, ‘Oh, something might happen to me,’” Melara-Recinos told The Hoya. “I just feel like I have a space here now that’s more accessible, and I feel a lot safer to just go home, which is upstairs.” 

For the students who moved in, each unit includes a full kitchen and dishwasher, a living room area, personal sinks and a laundry machine. 

Marino said the in-unit kitchen is one of the biggest draws of the building. 

“Having a kitchen is huge for me,” Marino told The Hoya. “I got so used to it when I was abroad, and then used it again over the summer. And it’s just fun because there’s lots of communal space so I can be cooking and talking to people in my living room.”

Carolina Chou (MSB ’27), Melara-Recinos’ roommate in Byrnes, said these amenities are a great improvement from those in her previous residence halls. 

“I feel like you can just feel that everything’s really clean and new,” Chou told The Hoya. “We each have our own sinks, which is super nice. It makes getting ready for bed a lot faster.” 

Marino said she also was interested in living in the new dormitory because of its mixed-gender housing option.

“I was thinking about, that if I was on campus, I would have to live with all girls,” Marino said. “If I was off campus, I could live with whoever I wanted. One of my best friends in the school here is a guy, so it would be nice to be able to live with him.” 

For Marino, finding housing on campus was also more practical, as she said navigating a squeezed rental market during the spring of her junior year would be difficult. 

“Since I went abroad my junior fall, I would’ve basically had to have that house my sophomore spring,” Marino said. “Most of the time, you’re not getting a lease if you’re trying to get that lease in your junior spring.” 

Lily Buckner (CAS ’26), a Hayden Hall resident, said avoiding the neighboring rental market and landlords and maintenance issues is an additional benefit of living on campus her senior year. 

“I was never interested in living off-campus because I hear so many horror stories about landlord issues, issues with appliances not working,” Buckner told The Hoya. “And then it’s like, who’s responsible for that? Because when you live on campus, if something breaks or there’s some issue you’re having, all you have to do is put in a work order.”

Auslander said it would have been less expensive to live off campus, but the benefits of living in Hayden Hall make the upcharge worth it for her. 

“It’s definitely more expensive than living off campus, but I was able to mitigate it by going down on my meal plan,” Auslander said. “I think that you do get what you pay for in the sense that it is a new building, and you’re paying for the convenience and proximity to campus.” 

The price of a double unit for four residents in the new building is $9,266 per semester, or about $2,316 per month. The average monthly rental price for the Burleith and Georgetown neighborhoods, in comparison, is $2,072. 

The final third hall of the residential complex, Henle Hall, remains closed to students due to ongoing construction delays. According to an email sent to students assigned to Henle Hall on July 10 that was obtained by The Hoya, the eight-unit building is set to open in November. 

Elyse van Houten (MSB ’27) was assigned Henle Hall for accommodation requirements, but is currently housed in Nevils. They said they now must choose whether to take on the additional cost of living in Henle, which is over $2,000 more expensive per semester, or stay in Nevils. 

“Going forward, we have the choice whether or not we want to stay at the Nevils and pay the Nevils rate or go to Henle and then pay the Henle rate for the amount of time we’re there,” van Houten told The Hoya.  

New residents have also dealt with technical hiccups, from electricity outages to GoCard scanners for common rooms, staircases and the main entrance to Hayden Hall not working. Grady McDonough (MSB ’26), a Hayden Hall resident, said the issues were apparent. 

“I’ve had a neighbor whose fire alarm won’t stop going off and had to call the contractor back to the building,” McDonough said. “And having the exterior Hayden doors not work for multiple days was rough as a Hayden resident.” 

Kanmani Duraikkannan (CAS ’26), a senior living in Hayden Hall, said these difficulties are being addressed quickly. 

“My fridge didn’t work initially, but Henle has its own repair people and they fixed it literally within an hour or two of me reporting that there was an issue,” Duraikkannan said. “So it went down pretty easy, but there have been issues in general and they’re adjusting.” 

Melara-Recinos, having watched the construction from her freshman year room in the neighboring Darnall Hall, said moving into Byrnes felt like a full-circle moment. 

“There’s like a sentimental value to it too, where my dorm was literally facing the construction,” Melara-Recinos said. “We saw it built up, so I was like, ‘yeah, like one day I’m going to live here.’ Then it happened.”