Hampton House Farewell Celebration

Farewell, Hampton House!

Yesterday, the Johns Hopkins community came together for a bittersweet celebration of Hampton House. The building, slated for demolition to make way for a new state-of-the-art facility has been a fixture on campus for almost 100 years. 

Center for Immunization Research founder, Dr. Mary Lou Clements-Mann, came to Hampton House in the 1980s. Under her leadership the center began it's work to find vaccines for infectious diseases of global importance. That work continued under CIR directors Don Burke (1997-2006), Ruth Karron (2007-2021) and Anna Durbin (2021-present). CIR's presence in the Hampton House grew tremendously over the years, eventually having office space on the 1st floor, 2nd floor and basement. The clinical space where our outpatient vaccine research trials are conducted is on the 1st floor of the building. Today, CIR has several locations including an inpatient unit on the Bayview Medical Campus and a pediatric clinic in Columbia, but Hampton House has always remained home base for the Center.

Despite the impending teardown, yesterday's mood was festive! Alumni, faculty, staff, and students came together to share stories and memories of Hampton House. The event featured food, a slide show highlighting the history of Hampton House, and guided tours. It was a fantastic way to say goodbye to a beloved building and campus landmark.

Ruth Karron's Hampton House celebration remarks: