Bowie Gridley Architects was selected by American University to provide planning, architecture and interior design services for the renovation of the historic McKinley Building, a 1917 neo-classical style building located on American University’s Washington, DC campus.  The renovated and expanded McKinley Building will serve as the new home for the University’s School of Communication.  Located at the main crossroads of the University between the Library and the Mary Graydon Center on the Friedheim Quad, the new School of will a prominent feature at the heart of the campus.

The commission enables Bowie Gridley Architects to complete an earlier design concept completed by the firm in 2005, which envisioned a modern glass facade juxtaposed with the neoclassical design of the original building, arranged to symbolically open the School of Communication to the main campus.

The new facility will feature high tech audio/visual systems, and a central atrium will provide space for  lectures and events.  In the spirit of a media innovation lab, the interior will reflect the changing face of media today and prepare students for work in journalism, broadcast, or film by providing a professional state-of-the-art setting.

Bowie Gridley Architects, founded in 1981, specializes in work for institutions of community significance — schools, performing arts centers, libraries, athletic facilities, and museums.  The mid-size architecture, planning and interior design firm is based in historic Georgetown and works with clients nationally.