The Beirut Campus

Irwin Hall

The atmosphere in which university students live and work plays a vital part in their education. The hillside campus in a residential area of Ras Beirut provides the necessary climate for a well-planned academic life. Nine buildings surround the central campus green which is beautifully landscaped with Mediterranean trees and foliage. [Campus map]

Sage Hall, the main classroom building, contains science laboratories, two large lecture rooms, faculty offices and the Academic Computer Center. This hall was built in 1933 through gifts from the women’s organizations of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and was the first building on the site.

Nicol Hall was named after President James H. Nicol in 1943. The first and second floors have been turned into classrooms, faculty offices, the Graduate Business Center, the Business Computer Laboratory and learning laboratories. The third floor is used for classrooms, faculty offices, Graphic Design labs, the Newsroom and the Publications Office. The ground floor houses the Guidance Office, Student Center, Continuing Education Program, a cafeteria and lounge for students. The Post Office and ceramics workshop are also located in this building.

Irwin Hall, named after the university’s first president, was completed in 1950. It was built with a gift from the Sage Foundation and gifts from alumnae and friends. This building contains the offices of the President, Vice Presidents, Dean of Student Services, classrooms, the Admissions, Development & Alumni Affairs, Financial Aid, Registrar’s, Comptroller’s and Business offices, a large auditorium, the Alumni and Faculty Lounge and a conference room. Irwin Hall housed the Stoltzfus Library (named in honor of LAU’s third president, William Stoltzfus) for almost 40 years, until the facility moved up to more spacious premises at the Learning Resources Center in 1998.

Shannon Hall, named after acting president Winifred Shannon, was completed in 1954 and was built thanks to a gift from the Ford Foundation. It houses the Institute for Women’s Studies in the Arab World, the children’s library and the nursery school. It also contains faculty and Campus Services offices.

The Faculty Apartments Building, erected in 1955, contains ten apartments for faculty, as well as the Human Resources and Information Technology offices and the telephone switchboard.

Orme-Gray Hall was named after former acting president Rhoda Orme and former president Frances Gray. It was dedicated in 1965 and accommodates 180 female students. It has suites for the director and floor officers as well as two lounges. It also contains a computer center and classrooms on the ground floor. More information about on-campus residence.

The Fine Arts Center, constructed in 1970, contains the Gulbenkian Amphitheater which was financed by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. It also houses faculty offices, design, drawing, painting, sculpture, graphics and photography studios, the Sheikh Zayed Exhibition Hall, a rehearsal room, a music classroom and Radio/TV studios.

The Gymnasium, built in 1970, contains facilities for a variety of physical education activities unmatched by other universities in Beirut or its suburbs. It includes: an indoor heated swimming pool, a fitness room, a newly renovated basketball court, a dance room, showers and the Athletics Offices.

The Learning Resources Center was planned in the early 1980s as a ten-floor structure. Today it houses the A-V Center, the Mimeographing Office, and the Fitness Center.