ICC — Georgetown University’s Office of Public Affairs announced earlier today that Intercultural Center architect MC Escher is set to receive a lifetime achievement award for his central role in planning the landmark building. 

Vice President of Public Affairs Derrick Tollhouse wrote in a campus-wide e-mail today that “Escher’s crucial input in crafting this perception-warping edifice is remarkable in that it not only rewrote the rules for architecture but reality itself.”     

The Intercultural Center opened to much fanfare in May 1982 and featured state of the art classrooms, labs and several dozen construction workers who were unable to find their way out of the building upon its completion.   

Architecture scholars consider the ICC to be a “physically-impossible” interpretation of Healy Hall. 

“I am thrilled we are taking the time to recognize the man who broke down the barriers of logic in construction,” said Katherine Gritiner (COL ’91) who has been simultaneously walking up and down an ICC staircase for over 20 years.  “The longer you are in this building, the more you appreciate the work he put into it.”

Representatives from the Office of Public Affairs reported that they had hoped to have the ceremony in 2012 on the 30th anniversary of the building’s opening, but the certificate of achievement was accidentally left in an ICC bathroom several years ago and administrators were only recently able to search through all 537 bathrooms in the facility to locate it.

While Escher passed away more than three decades ago, sources familiar with the situation say that two hands perpetually drawing each other will receive the award on his behalf.

The award ceremony will take place at 9 am on September 1st, 2015 in ICC 107.35A (directly across from ICC 415  and the Penrose stairs).