Campus address: 611 Alumni LaneFormerly called Cardinal Hall, the building was renamed in honor of Bishop David O'Connell, C.M., in June 2010 shortly before he ended his 12-year tenure as Catholic University's 14th president.
The newly renovated building is home to the University’s Enrollment Management Center, bringing together the offices of
Admissions, Financial Aid, and
Enrollment Services to meet the needs of prospective and current students. It also serves as base for the
Office of Marketing and Communications, the
Division of University Advancement, and the
Craves Family Alumni Center.
The stately Gothic structure built in 1914 is in a prime location on campus facing Michigan Avenue to the south and the University Mall and McGivney Hall to the north. Until 2003, the building was used as a student center, cafeteria, bookstore, and general meeting facility. Its name changed over the years from Graduates Hall, to Cardinal Hall, to University Center, and back to Cardinal Hall before its rededication as Father O'Connell Hall.
The centerpiece of the building is Heritage Hall, a grand room with wood paneling, high ceilings featuring rosettes and other intricate molding, and bronze chandeliers. The room served as the University dining hall in the early 1900s and, with the restoration, looks virtually the same as it did then, reminding visitors of a long-ago era of college life.
The Office of Marketing and Communications is a full-service communications resource, providing the 12 schools of the university with writing, editing, graphic design, marketing, photography, and advertising services. By offering professional communications support, the office acts as a liaison between the university, the media and the general public, and works to build pride in Catholic University and its people, programs, research, teaching and events. Though based in Father O’Connell Hall, the Photo and Video Offices are located in McMahon Hall.