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st. john’s college
Annapolis
Retaining the feel of its late-18th century origins, St. John’s
Annapolis campus occupies a 36-acre rectangle in the heart
of Maryland’s capital. Its herringbone-brick pathways angle
between stately oaks, maples, and poplars, connecting the
nearly two dozen campus buildings and converging on a quad
formed by two dormitories andMcDowell Hall (1789), one of
the oldest buildings on campus.
From the terrace behind McDowell, the campus
slopes downward to a broad lawn, framed on one side by
Mellon Hall—housing administration, classrooms, a large
auditorium, a courtyard garden, an observatory with two
permanent telescopes, labs, and an art gallery—and on the
other by Iglehart Hall, an athletics building distinguished
by its classic gymnasium and suspended wooden running
track. On warm days this stretch of campus draws students
for Frisbee, bocce ball, and other diversions—along with
plenty of sun-soaked reading.
Farther on, the lawn is bordered by a planetarium,
tennis courts, and two newer dormitories that look out upon
the playing fields adjoining College Creek. A short way
along the shoreline, the Hodson Boathouse offers students
a wide range of boats and equipment.
FromGreenfield Library, students have an easy walk
into downtown Annapolis, a historic town with a population
of 40,000. Past the State
House, an array of narrow
streets filled with coffee shops, restaurants,
and galleries leads down to the harbor.
There, sailboats and yachts line the docks,
and students join tourists and locals as part
of the waterfront scene.