Students, faculty, and staff returning to Southwestern University’s campus this fall became the first to experience the reimagined Mood-Bridwell Hall. Originally opened in 1908 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975, Mood-Bridwell Hall reopened this August following a two-year, $25 million renovation that restored the historic structure while incorporating the latest classroom technology. Over $11 million in funding for the project was raised through donations as part of Thrive: The Campaign for Southwestern.

The project recently earned national attention as Engineering News-Record honored Southwestern with the Award of Merit in the renovation/restoration category of their 2025 Best Projects Awards.

Southwestern partnered with the City of Georgetown, project management firm Kitchell, general contractor Linbeck, and architect PBK to rejuvenate Mood-Bridwell Hall on the inside and out. The building’s 117-year-old exterior shines bright following comprehensive stonework, including the repointing of joints and thorough cleaning of the limestone blocks. A variety of repairs were also completed to correct defects that had arisen throughout the building’s history. A new roof as well as new, energy-efficient windows were also installed.

As one of the original facilities built on Southwestern’s Georgetown campus, Mood-Bridwell Hall has helped dictate the look and feel of SU’s buildings for more than a century. During the design process, it was crucial for the University to preserve the building’s original style.

“Mood-Bridwell Hall is a very historic building on campus,” Associate Vice President for Facilities Management Amanda Barber said. “It is one of the anchor buildings that define the characteristic look of the campus from an exterior facade perspective. It is historically relevant in that sense, but it’s also currently relevant because it is preserving the soul of the campus look.”

To help achieve this, Southwestern and its construction partners collaborated closely with the City of Georgetown’s Historic and Architectural Review Commission (HARC), ensuring the renovation remained in compliance with local regulations surrounding the historic structure.

“The building is over 100 years old, so not only does it have historical value for the University, but for the City of Georgetown as well,” Kitchell Project Manager Josiah Cortez said. “It is listed in the City’s historical archives as a building of importance, so there were a lot of design elements that we were not allowed to touch. It took a lot of teamwork from every group to get it to where it is now. It took quite the effort but this is one project that many people can be proud of.”

The building’s interior was scaled back to its original studs and foundation. From there, the site was reimagined. State-of-the-art classrooms, faculty offices, meeting spaces, and even a coffee shop were woven among the original beams, pillars, and columns that date back to the early 20th century. What resulted is the unique blend of old and new.

One of the building’s new defining characteristics is an expansive skylight that fills the lobby with natural sunlight in a nod to Mood-Bridwell Hall’s original construction, which featured a large, open-air atrium in the center. Unused roof space on the second floor was transformed into a new outdoor terrace designed to become an outdoor classroom and central gathering place. Finishing touches are being completed on the first-floor coffee shop, which is scheduled to open this fall. On the north side of the building, a two-story annex was constructed, allowing for the addition of several new classrooms.

The latest technology is packed throughout the new Mood-Bridwell Hall. Advanced projection systems were included in each classroom. Enhanced wifi and networking capabilities were also installed throughout the building. The first-floor atrium features an interactive videowall, and each floor now has a state-of-the-art, environmentally-friendly Epson printing system. These new printers use 50% less power and utilize a water-based ink system, eliminating the need for petroleum-based toner.

Sustainability was incorporated throughout the project as energy-efficient windows and skylights allow for natural light to help offset the need for lamps and other electric light sources. A new dual-system HVAC system improves efficiency and provides for individual room temperature control while still maintaining a central system for consistency across shared spaces.

Following a thorough design process, work initially began on Mood-Bridwell Hall in September 2023. Faculty and staff housed within the building were temporarily relocated to a swing space in Joe S. Mundy Hall, while other organizations, such as Upward Bound, found new permanent homes across campus.

“I want to say thank you and express my gratitude for the patience shown on the part of the faculty and the leadership that were impacted by this,” Barber said. “It was certainly significant.”

When construction on Mood-Bridwell Hall originally began in 1906, limestone blocks quarried at the nearby Brushy Creek Quarry in Round Rock were used to create the building’s Richardson Romanesque style. The original stonework was completed by Waterston and Sons stone cutters, the same masons who immigrated to the United States in the 1880s to work on the construction of the Texas State Capitol Building. During the renovation, the building’s original foundation was exposed for the first time in over a century.

“It’s not completely uncommon to take on a project like this, but there are very few of them that are this old,” Cortez said. “We were working with the existing foundations that were constructed in 1908, so there were a lot of unknowns that we had to take into consideration. It’s not unheard of, but there are just very few projects of this magnitude on such an old building.”

When it opened in 1908 as a men’s residence hall, the building held 80 bedrooms and was the first building on campus with steam heat, electricity, and bathrooms on every floor. During World War I, Mood-Bridwell Hall was transformed into barracks for the Student Army Training Corps. Just a few years later, in 1925, it served as a women’s dormitory after the Ladies Annex burned down. When the V-12 Navy College Training Program came to Southwestern during World War II, Mood-Bridwell Hall again became a women’s dormitory while Laura Kuykendahl Hall, the women’s residence hall, was utilized by Naval trainees.

Throughout history, it also served as a campus dining hall, library, and infirmary. In 1965, the building was converted to house faculty offices, campus organizations, and classrooms. Today, Mood-Bridwell Hall is ready to serve the next generation of students, faculty, and staff with new classrooms, office space, and other amenities designed to build community.

“This project sends the right message to our faculty, staff, and students that Southwestern is committed to preserving the soul, history, traditions, and really rich story that is Southwestern, while providing clean, functional, desirable, and modernized spaces that are conducive to learning and achieving the mission of the University,” Barber said.