Georgetown University's campus, located on high ground above the Potomac at the western edge of Georgetown, shows most of the consequences, both positive and negative, of the transformation of a small college into a major research university. 

Before World War II, Georgetown's campus was small, pedestrian-oriented, and organized in traditional academic quadrangles. As has become common at institutions around the U.S., the sense of the campus as a series of coherent spaces was sacrificed to rapid post-war expansion. Except for the main quadrangle, most of the campus is organized around the necessity for auto access. That having been said, the main quad is very lovely, with large trees, gardens, and well-tended lawns edged by handsome stone buildings in the "collegiate gothic" style.