Welcome Back Gilman: The Heart of Homewood
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Posted by: Admissions_Shannon | 
August 25 2010 | 
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I bought my first Hopkins lacrosse t-shirt at the bookstore in Gilman Hall. I mailed my first electric bill in the basement of the building, where the university post office was located. I directed lost families through its eight stairwells during our Open Houses. And, I heard about its archaeological collection, but never got to see it, because it was hidden away in storage.
A Gorgeous Shot of Gilman by JHU_Greco
However, everything now has changed!
Named after the university’s founding president Daniel Coit Gilman, Gilman Hall was first opened in 1915. With seminar style teaching being invented at Johns Hopkins University, the building was created to foster this type of environment – one where students and faculty could work closely together and continue their discussions outside of the classroom. As time passed on, though, it became clear that upgrades to the building were necessary.
After an 85 million dollar renovation, Gilman Hall has reopened its doors as the first LEED certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) and green building on campus. (LEED certified = high performance in five areas: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality).
Now, for the first time in many years, Gilman is home to ALL humanities departments: Classics, English, German and Romance Languages, History, History of Art, History of Science and Technology, Humanities Center, Near Eastern Studies, Philosophy, and Writing Seminars. Museums and Society, Film and Media Studies, and the Expository Writing program have all moved back under the Gilman roof. Each of these departments has its own seminar room, including ceiling-mounted digital projectors and screens, DVD players, document cameras, speakers, and dimmable lighting. With nearly 11,000 additional square feet of space, the number of seminar style classrooms has increased from 15 to 29!
In addition to the increase in space and reuniting of the humanities, Gilman opens with many other exciting changes:
- If you would have visited the old Gilman, you probably would’ve gotten lost! With eight stairwell — all of which led to different floors – confusing corridors, and hallways that came to dead ends, it was extremely difficult to navigate the building. In the new Gilman, three stairwells have united all floors of the building, a new corridor from the north to south end has been created to allow you to pass through the center, and two elevators have been added to create a handicapped accessible facility. If you take the stairs, you will find a department office when you arrive to each floor. The space has been laid out as such so that visitors to the university can pop in and ask questions if needed!
- In the entranceway of the building, know as Memorial Hall, you will find four restored class windows. These windows represent the four institutions where President Gilman worked during his career: Hopkins, Yale, University of California, and the Carnegie Institute of Washington.
Vessel Field
- With the renovation, a new space has been opened up in the center of the building, creating a three story atrium area which is absolutely gorgeous! The atrium is now a useful group gathering and study space for students to use. Hanging from its glass roof (made up of 154 glass panels, each one weighing about 500 pounds) is Vessel Field, a nine piece sculpture created by Virginia artist Kendall Buster.
- In the past, our archaeological collection was hidden in storage. Now, you can find it just below the atrium. Over 8,550 objects will not only be displayed in glass cases, but also be used by students and faculty for classes and research. The collection includes thousands of Greco-Roman and Near Eastern objects dating from pre-dynastic Egypt to the Byzantine and Islamic periods.
- The Hutzler Reading Room, know by our students as “the Hut,” is located in the back of the building and was formerly a darker study space with worn tables and rugs. Revamped and ready to go for students this fall, this 24 hour study space is now bright (the walls are green!) and has two interior glass walls to define three distinct study spaces. One of these spaces contains the Writing Center, where office hours will be held for students throughout the year. The highlight of this space is the newly restored 19 stained glass windows. These windows were dedicated in 1930 to a former trustee, Francis T. King, and display the marks and logos used by European printers from the 15th and 16th centuries.
- Formerly, the Nolan Room was designated as the film and media studies screening room. With tall glass windows along the back wall, this space was not ideal. During the reconstruction, the Nolan Room was restored to a classroom space with a view of the Wyman woods, and the Fisher Lecture Hall was created as a new screening space. Fisher Lecture Hall, located on the ground floor, is a 1,500-square foot auditorium which can seat up to 145 people. Enclosed in wood and metal acoustic panels, the room has a full projection booth, motorized projection screen, whiteboard, and “smart” podium.
The Hut
All in all, the newly renovated Gilman Hall is beautiful. As students arrive on campus, some are ready to see all of the changes, while others can’t wait to see the building for the first time! Professors have returned to their offices, classrooms have been decorated, and seminar tables eagerly await their new students and faculty. We are all excited that the home of the humanities and heart of campus has returned!
So, if you decide to visit campus, you can buy your Hopkins lacrosse t-shirt in the Barnes and Noble Bookstore located in Charles Commons on St. Paul Street. You can mail your bills at the post office in Wolman Hall. You can easily navigate the stairwells of Gilman to visit the various humanities departments during our Open Houses. And, you can view the archaeological collection right underneath Gilman’s atrium.
Stop by soon, and experience Gilman for yourself! (Visit for an Open House for a chance to see Gilman and the rest of the Homewood campus.)
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