Johns Hopkins University moves into former Newseum building

The giant First Amendment slab is gone — and Johns Hopkins University has completed its move into the former Newseum building on Pennsylvania Avenue.

Why it matters: The $275 million renovation makes Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins the latest university to expand its presence in Washington.

State of play: Hopkins moved its international studies graduate program from Massachusetts Avenue to the new space, which displays a piece of the Berlin Wall in the atrium, the Washington Post reports.

• Classes officially began in August at what's now called the Hopkins Bloomberg Center, named after alumnus Michael Bloomberg. He has donated more than $3 billion to the institution, per Forbes.
• Its new School of Government and Policy plans to launch within the next few years.

Zoom out: The University of Southern California purchased a building near Dupont Circle recently for a new campus, the Post reports.

• New York University, Texas A&M University, Arizona State, Florida International University, and the University of California system are among those that also have a presence here.

Between the lines: The immediate influx of about 1,300 daytime graduate students and 650 staff at the Hopkins building will inject foot traffic into the downtown corner.

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect that classes started in August, not October.