History of Washington, D.C.
Georgetown was established in 1751 when the Maryland legislature purchased sixty acres of land for the town from George Gordon and George Beall at the price of £280, while Alexandria, Virginia was founded in 1749. Situated on the fall line, Georgetown was the farthest point upstream to which oceangoing boats could navigate the Potomac River. The strong flow of the Potomac kept a navigable channel clear year-round; and, the daily tidal lift of the Chesapeake Bay, raised the Potomac's elevation in its lower reach; such that fully laden ocean-going ships could navigate easily, all the way to the Bay. Gordon had constructed a tobacco inspection house along the Potomac in approximately 1745. Warehouses, wharves, and other buildings were added, and the settlement rapidly grew. The Old Stone House, located in Georgetown, was built in 1765 and is the oldest standing building in the District. It did not take long before Georgetown grew into a thriving port, facilitating trade and shipments of tobacco and other goods from colonial Maryland. With the economic and population growth of Georgetown came also the founding of Georgetown University in 1789, at its founding drawing students from as far away as the West Indies.
Old North Building
In the 18th century, the nascent Georgetown College, with only one building on its campus in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C., was in continual need of additional space. Therefore, in 1792, with all of the college's facilities housed within the South Building (which was demolished in 1904), land was purchased for the construction of an additional building. Construction started in 1794 on what became known as the North Building, and work on its edifice was completed by 1795. The architect is believed to have been Leonard Harbaugh, the Baltimore-based designer of Holy Trinity Chapel. The building was modeled after Nassau Hall at Princeton University. Funding the construction of a building of its size was difficult for the school. The total cost of its initial construction exceeded £10,000, a sum significantly greater than the revenue from the Jesuits' Maryland plantations, which were funding the project. The board of directors was required to raise tuition, cut President Robert Plunkett's salary by more than half, and make some payments in the form of cows raised on campus as barter, rather than in cash. The interior of the building was not complete until 1809, with an anonymous contribution of $400. Upon completion, the 154-foot-long building increased the amount of dormitory space on campus fourfold. It also housed classrooms, a refectory, and a chapel. The building finally opened for use in 1797.