As you know by now, The Catholic University of America was first established for the purposes of graduate education and research. However, funding needs of the university made undergraduate education an appealing prospect. CUA’s first undergraduates (all male) arrived on campus in 1904. The presence of young adults with both energy and free time meant that soon they began requesting from the University Rector an athletic field. Although resistant at first, the Rector eventually relented allowing CUA’s first athletic field to be built on where Curly Court (student housing) now rests.
Having been founded as an institute for graduate study and research, the University did not admit undergraduates until 1904. This brought new challenges and opportunities for the University, including the need for athletics and space. The students in the photo graph are playing on the first athletic field, attained after many persistent requests.
An undergraduate dorm room from Albert Hall, formerly known as Keane Hall, which was demolished in 1970.