38°56.025′N76°59.752′W / 38.933750°N 76.995867°W /38.933750; -76.995867
Maloney Hall is the home of theBusch School of Business and Economics at theCatholic University of America. It is located in the southeast corner of Catholic University’s main campus, near theBrookland–CUA station. It has been described as "Harvard on the outside,Google on the inside"[1] and "one of the premier academic buildings in Washington, D.C. if not the country."[2]
The Martin Maloney Chemical Laboratory was dedicated on November 15, 1917 and named forMartin Maloney, a Philadelphia philanthropist andpapal marquis.[3][1][2][4] Maloney gave $120,000 in 1917 to construct the main building and $100,000 in 1923-24 for what is today the 273 seat Della Ratta Auditorium.[5][3][1][nb 1] The philanthropist said he hoped the building would "help our Catholic young men and women rise to the level of the great opportunities, which our nation offers them.[3]James A. Farrell, president of theUnited States Steel Corporation, was a featured speaker at the dedication[3]
The fieldstone Gothic‐style building was designed by architectFrederick V. Murphy who studied at theÉcole nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts. Upon his return to D.C. from Paris, Murphy introduced himself to the fourth rector of Catholic University, Rev.Thomas Joseph Shahan. The two men, who became great friends, planned the early campus, including Maloney, Father O’Connell, andGibbons Halls, the John K. Mullen of Denver Memorial Library, and the old gymnasium.
As the lab was opened in Washington D.C. in the midst ofWorld War I, theUnited States Army took over the lab to conduct chemical research.[3] It was here that the chemical weaponlewisite was initially developed byWinford Lee Lewis.
Maloney Hall underwent renovations and extensions in 1926.
In 2016, a $47 million renovation was announced, with a lead gift of $15 million coming fromTim Busch.[7][1][2][8] The renovation turned the building into a "Gothic-chic" home for the Busch School of Business which opened in January 2019.[7][5] Prior to the renovation, the Busch School took up 25% of McMahon Hall, and the School was scattered throughout six buildings on campus with students taking classes in 10.[2]
The principal architect was Brian Pilot, a Catholic University alumnus, along with his firm, Studios Architecture.[9][10][1] Construction was carried out byThe Whiting-Turner Contracting Company, and included Chris Saxon, Rachel Hutton, and Nick Carneglia, all of whom are University alumni.[11][1] It was rededicated in March 2019.[4]
The 61,000 square foot building maintains the originalCollegiate Gothic features, but modern updates including tiered case study classrooms modeled after those atHarvard Business School and top business schools around the world.[12][5][1][2] The nine "smart" classrooms are tiered to promote class discussions.[12][5][9] The building also features nearly 40 offices, conference rooms, touchdown rooms, and glass-walled study pods for students to use on projects that require teamwork and communication.[12][5][9][1][2]
The 2019 construction also added a chapel dedicated toSaint Michael the Archangel designed by Studio Granda Architects, a Spanish firm.[5][1][2] The chapel's original artwork was commissioned by artists in Spain.[13][5] The stained glass windows feature saints and holy people chosen to serve as inspirations for business students, includingCatherine of Alexandria,Enrique Ernesto Shaw,Pier Giorgio Frassati,Margaret Clitherow,Pope Gregory I,Josemaría Escrivá,Elizabeth Ann Seton,Thomas Aquinas,Katherine Drexel, andMaximilian Kolbe.[13]
The altar panel shows Christ in Heaven surrounded by four figures emblematic of the four pillars ofCatholic Social Teaching:Saint Matthew the Evangelist representing thecommon good,Pope John Paul II representingsolidarity,Theresa of Calcutta representinghuman dignity, andLouis Martin and Marie-Azélie Guérin representing subsidiarity.[13] The panel also depictsPope Leo XIII, the pope who approved the founding of the university.[13] Thetabernacle, which is made of marble and gold, is a scale model of theBasilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception which is nearby on the southwest corner of the campus.[13]
The first mass in the chapel was celebrated by Fr. Louis Maxmillian, O.F.M. Conv., on February 18, 2019.[14] The chapel is the spiritual heart of the building, and the Busch School.[5][4]