The total cost of its initial construction exceeded £10,000, a sum significantly greater than the revenue from the Jesuits' Maryland plantations, which were funding the project.

Until then, only the interior of the third floor had been finished;[8] Matthews also added the two octagonal towers, which were an unusual addition to the Georgian-style building.

[9] On May 4, 1861, during the Civil War, notice was given to President John Early that the 69th Infantry Regiment of New York would be commandeering Georgetown College's campus to quarter its 1,400 soldiers.

Likewise, Old North was exempt from another order by the Surgeon General of the Army, on August 31, 1862 to convert Georgetown's facilities into a hospital for 500 patients.

[5] When Healy Hall was completed immediately adjacent to the building, Old North lost its status as the flagship of the university and its grandeur was diminished in comparison.

[3] This entailed the removal of the wooden beams in the attic that had long-since lost their structurally supporting role and were merely decorative.

[7] On August 7, 1797,[10] George Washington, two of whose grandnephews had previously been students at Georgetown, gave a speech on the southern steps of Old North to a group assembled in Dahlgren Quadrangle.

At the former ceremony, he was joined by the Secretary of State and several members of the diplomatic corps, and he assisted the president of the college in distributing diplomas to the graduates.

President Andrew Jackson accepted an invitation to attend the commencement of July 28, 1829, however, he fell ill and did not ultimately make a trip to Georgetown.

The graduation of 1854 was attended by President Franklin Pierce on July 11, and he paid additional visits to the College on June 5 and November 6 of 1856.

President Ulysses Grant also visited the building that year, when he attended graduation, which was described as "Exhibition Day" in the house diary of the college.

[16] In January 1993, President-elect and Georgetown alumnus Bill Clinton addressed the Diplomatic Corps from the steps of Old North.

[19] As of 2018[update], 14 American presidents have visited Old North or have spoken on the steps, the most recent of which was Barack Obama, who gave a major address on climate change in 2016.