The Campus
Georgian Court’s 114-acre campus is located in Lakewood, New Jersey, along the shore of scenic Lake Carasaljo at the northern edge of the Pine Barrens. Once the estate of Gilded Age financier George Jay Gould, the campus is home to the Sister Mary Grace Burns Arboretum and is a National Historic Landmark with acres of woodlands, lush lawns, and formal gardens. Idyllic grounds and stunning architecture make Georgian Court University an inspiring place to live and learn.
Georgian Court students take advantage of the quiet suburban setting to focus on their studies. When it’s time for some fun, the excitement of the Jersey Shore is only minutes away, and two major metropolitan areas—Philadelphia, 60 miles southwest, and New York City, 60 miles northeast—each offer a world of culture and entertainment.
The Gardens
Several formal gardens adorn the campus, offering pastoral beauty and quiet alcoves perfect for catching up on American Lit or cramming for a chemistry exam.
The Sunken Garden overlooks the Lagoon and, together, the two comprise one of the most popular areas on campus for quiet reflection with a view. Constructed of white marble and red brick, the Sunken Garden centers on a fountain brought over from a garden in France. Two stunning semicircular marble staircases usher you down to the Lagoon, where Lake Carasaljo (named after the town founder’s three daughters: Cara, Sally, and Josephine) flows into the campus, its lapping water a soothing presence as you tackle your textbooks.
The Formal Garden may look like a shortcut between the Mansion and the Raymond Hall Complex, but its mazelike box hedge is deceptively tricky to navigate. Make your way through it to one of the white marble benches to study in the sun.
The Italian Gardens, also known as the Classic Gardens, extend from the Casino to the magnificent Apollo Fountain. The garden features numerous statues, including The Eagle, a huge wrought-iron sculpture purchased from the Paris Exposition of 1900.
Located just south of Maria Hall is a touch of the Orient: the Japanese Garden. This garden features traditional stone lanterns, a 1910 teahouse from the Japan-British Exhibition of 1910, several footbridges, Japanese flora, and unparalleled tranquility.
The Historic Buildings
The Mansion, with its impressive Georgian architecture and Gilded Age decor, is a must-see for campus visitors. A substantial building of brick, marble, and stucco, the Mansion was designed by world-famous architect Bruce Price and features several reception rooms. Among them is the Great Hall, a centralized reception area that features the multi-wall frieze of Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales: General Prologue, painted by muralist Robert Van Vorst Sewell. The Great Hall hosts many university ceremonies, receptions, and other events.
The Gatekeeper’s Lodge, designed to complement the Mansion in style, is tucked just inside the Seventh Street Gate.
The Raymond Hall Complex is north of the Mansion and is separated from it by the Formal Garden. Raymond Hall served as the estate stable, once housing as many as 44 horses and 90 polo ponies. Today, the Raymond Hall Complex houses the Department of Education, classrooms, and GCU’s Dining Hall and North Dining Room.
Overlooking the Italian Gardens at the north end of campus is the Casino, a soaring space designed as the Goulds’ winter recreation center. In the early 1900s, the word “casino” described a place for games and entertainment. The Casino had a grand central arena for indoor polo matches—with more floor space than the original Madison Square Garden—that is now used for concerts and other large-venue events. Parts of the Casino remain historically faithful, such as the Goulds’ court tennis court and bowling alley. Today, the Casino also houses the Offices of the Dean of Students, Student Life, Student Activities and Engagement, Health Services, and Counseling Services; TRIO–Student Support Services; and the Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) program.
The Academic Buildings
The Sister Mary Joseph Cunningham (SMJC) Library is a modern 44,000-square-foot library that serves as a central community hub for learning, research, and student life. The SMJC Library offers a wide variety of resources in both physical and digital forms including books/ebooks, databases, journals, audiovisual materials, maps, academic reserves, special collections, and GCU archives to support academic research and campus life. Library services include reference assistance, interlibrary loan services, and information literacy instruction. The building features a range of innovative spaces tailored to meet the diverse needs of our entire community. These spaces include an Esports Lounge, Presentation Prep Room, Multimedia Studio, group study rooms, computer labs, booth and modular seating areas, and an information literacy instruction room, all equipped with the latest technology to enhance the GCU learning, research, and campus life experience. Additionally, the SMJC Library is home to the Office of Information Technology, Career Services, Writing Center, Math lounge, and Peer Tutoring Services, providing comprehensive support for academic and professional development.
Jeffries Hall houses many departments in the School of Arts, Sciences, & Education, as well as Instructional Technology and Design, Global Education Programs, and the Office of Student Success. There are classrooms, seminar rooms, offices, studios, computer labs, the M. Christina Geis Art Gallery, the Veterans Lounge, and the Little Theatre. In a wing attached to Jeffries Hall is the state-of-the-art Audrey Birish George Science Center, a two-story facility that offers laboratory and instruction space for scientific study.
East of the Italian Gardens sits Farley Center, a split-level building that houses the School of Business and Digital Media and the Department of Psychology and Counseling. Farley Center features the International Collaboration Center, ideal for meetings, teleconferences, and global presentations.
Other buildings on the campus proper include Mercedes Hall, home to Undergraduate and Graduate Admissions, and the Scully Registration and Finance Center (formerly Mercy Center), which houses the Office of Student Accounts, Office of the Registrar, Office of Financial Aid, and Finance.
The Chapels
The Dorothy Marron University Community Chapel is at the southern end of the campus on the lake. Its magnificent vaulted ceilings and glass walls look out onto Founders Grove and the Japanese Garden. The beauty of nature through the changing seasons is a beautiful backdrop to the services held here. Mercy Hall, attached to the Chapel, houses students in the Honors Program and visiting faculty.
At the north end of the Raymond Hall Complex is the McAuley Heritage Center, formerly the McAuley Heritage Chapel. Originally the parish church for Lakewood, this quaint structure was moved by horse and rollers to the campus in 1924—a feat chronicled in Believe It or Not by Robert Ripley. Once the center of worship on campus, the chapel has been renovated to serve as a place where members of the GCU community can learn about Georgian Court and the heritage of the Sisters of Mercy, attend small lectures or special seminars, and gather to think, discuss, and reflect on the issues of our time. Also, special Masses are sometimes held in St. Stephen’s Chapel inside the Mansion.
The Athletic Complex
The Wellness Center complex includes an arena, two softball fields, two soccer fields, tennis courts, an eight-lane track surrounding a lacrosse field, professional-quality dance studios, an exercise science lab, fitness facilities, a garden featuring over 60 types of plants historically used for medicinal or herbal purposes, and the University Bookstore. Located at the north end of campus, this world-class facility is worthy of GCU’s successful and growing men’s and women’s NCAA Division II sports teams. In 2010, the Wellness Center earned LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The Leadership in Environmental Excellence and Design (LEED) honor recognizes GCU’s eco-friendly approach to building a facility that incorporates sustainability practices and makes the most of natural resources. GCU’s turf field was constructed in 2015. The project included a 103,917-square-foot conversion of the university’s longtime grass field for soccer and lacrosse.
Residence Halls
Maria Hall is home to most first-year residents. This three-story residence hall houses up to 200 students. Its beautiful lounges overlook both the Italian and Japanese Gardens.
Saint Joseph Hall offers additional housing for first- and second-year students.
Saint Catherine Hall is a residence facility for juniors and seniors that accommodates 84 students. Saint Catherine Hall features the latest in on-campus living, including several lounge areas, exercise areas, and a first-floor central lounge with a fireplace, meeting areas, and big-screen television. The Mercy Garden, a community vegetable garden maintained by GCU, is adjacent to Saint Catherine Hall.
Mercy Hall is home to members of the University Honors Program. The coed residence, where each room includes a private bath, houses approximately 50 students who can take advantage of a spacious first-floor common area. Mercy Hall connects to the Dorothy Marron University Community Chapel.
Dining Facilities
The Dining Hall, where students, faculty, and staff can gather for a meal, is located in the Raymond Hall Complex, and the Café at GCU, a pay-as-you-go alternative, is located in the Patrick and Julia Gavan Student Lounge, just east of the library.
Lakewood Avenue Buildings
Made of brick, beige stucco, terra cotta, and marble, Kingscote was constructed in 1901 for George Jay Gould’s son Kingdon Gould. Designed in the same Georgian style as the Mansion, Kingscote is so impressive that people often mistake it for the Mansion. Kingscote houses the Office of the President as well as Mission Integration, Human Resources, and the Office of Institutional Advancement. Hamilton Hall, located behind Kingscote on Seventh Street, houses classrooms, skills labs, and offices for the Hackensack Meridian Health School of Nursing and Wellness at GCU.
The other building on Lakewood Avenue is the Medical Arts Building (the former Music Center) on the Sixth Street corner. It houses additional classrooms, skills labs, and offices for the Hackensack Meridian Health School of Nursing and Wellness at GCU.
Please note: Locations of offices are subject to change.