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Directions to the School of Education

AU's Spring Valley Building

The School of Education (SOE) is located on the 4th Floor of American University's Spring Valley Building, approximately one mile from the main campus.

Address
American University
Spring Valley Building
4801 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Fourth Floor, Suite #471
Washington, DC 20016

Directions

Take Exit 39 (River Road) and follow signs toward Washington, DC. Continue east on River Road to the fifth traffic light. Turn right onto Goldsboro Road. At the first traffic light, turn left onto Massachusetts Avenue. Continue on Massachusetts Avenue for about two miles, through a traffic circle (Westmoreland Circle). Continue straight to the third traffic light - where 48th Street is on the left, and Fordham Road is on the right (you will see '4801' on the front of the Spring Valley Building).

Make a sharp left U-turn, and drive a short distance to the parking garage entrance on the right side, per the graphic below. ***If making U-turn appears difficult due to the presence of cars/delivery vehicles parked in front of the building, then make a left turn onto 48th Street and a later U-turn to return to the intersection, per the graphic below.

Spring Valley Building
Park on any of the parking garage's three levels and go to the elevators. Make a payment at the parking kiosk in front of the elevators and come to the 4th Floor, where the School of Education is located.

Take K Street to the Whitehurst Freeway. Turn left at the end of Whitehurst to Canal Road. Get into right lane and follow Canal Road up hill. At this point, it will become Foxhall Road. Continue on Foxhall Road until it ends at Nebraska Avenue. Turn right onto Nebraska Avenue and drive to Ward Circle; enter the circle and continue, passing the Nebraska Ave exit, and make a right turn onto Massachusetts Avenue, per the graphic below.

Spring Valley Building Directions
Continue on Massachusetts Avenue, passing two traffic lights. At the third traffic light (notice Fordham Road on the left; 48th Street on the right), you will see the Spring Valley Building on the right hand side ('4801' is on front of the building). Pass the intersection, and drive a very short distance to the parking garage entrance on the right side.

Park on any of the parking garage's three levels and go to the elevators. Make a payment at the parking kiosk in front of the elevators and come to the 4th Floor, where the School of Education is located.

Cross the Key Bridge and turn left onto Canal Road at traffic light at end of bridge. Get into right lane and follow Canal Road up hill. At this point, it will become Foxhall Road. Continue on Foxhall Road until it ends at Nebraska Avenue. Turn right onto Nebraska Avenue and drive to Ward Circle; enter the circle and continue, passing the Nebraska Avenue exit, and make a right turn onto Massachusetts Avenue, per the graphic below.

Spring Valley Building DirectionsContinue on Massachusetts Avenue, passing two traffic lights. At the third traffic light (notice Fordham Road on the left; 48th Street on the right), you will see the Spring Valley Building on the right hand side ('4801' is on front of the building). Pass the intersection, and drive a very short distance to the parking garage entrance on the right side.

Park on any of the parking garage's three levels and go to the elevators. Make a payment at the parking kiosk in front of the elevators and come to the 4th Floor, where the School of Education is located.

Take Rt. 123 to the Chain Bridge. Turn right off of the bridge onto Canal Road. At the first traffic light, turn left onto Arizona Avenue. Continue on Arizona Ave through light at MacArthur Blvd to the end. Turn right onto Loughboro Drive (which will become Nebraska Avenue). Continue straight on Nebraska Avenue and drive to Ward Circle, per the graphic below; enter the circle and continue, passing the Nebraska Avenue exit, and make a right turn onto Massachusetts Avenue.

Spring Valley Building DirectionsContinue on Massachusetts Avenue, passing two traffic lights. At the third traffic light (notice Fordham Road on the left; 48th Street on the right), you will see the Spring Valley Building on the right hand side ('4801' is on front of the building). Pass the intersection, and drive a very short distance to the parking garage entrance on the right side.

Park on any of the parking garage's three levels and go to the elevators. Make a payment at the parking kiosk in front of the elevators and come to the 4th Floor, where the School of Education is located.

Take the Red Line to Tenleytown-AU Metro station, where AU provides free shuttle bus service to the Spring Valley Building via the 'Red Route Express' shuttle bus.

To get to the shuttle stop, walk straight towards the buses/bus stops once you get to the top of the second set of Metro station escalators (elevator passengers, turn left and walk straight - towards the buses - when exiting the elevator). Walk to the curb and stop (to the left you will see a 'Blue Route' shuttle bus/bus stop directly in front of the Wawa store entrance). Walk across the street to the 'AU' shuttle stop sign near the corner, per the graphic below, or to the waiting bus.

Spring Valley Building Directions
Visit AU Shuttle Services to check the next arrival time. You do not have to show an ID to board the shuttle bus (inform the driver that you are going to the Spring Valley Building). After the approximately fifteen minute ride, get off the bus at the Spring Valley Building, the route's last stop. Enter the building and walk straight, towards the elevators. Take an elevator to the fourth floor, where the School of Education is located.

American University (AU) offers free shuttle bus service to both the main campus and to the Spring Valley Building, where the School of Education is located. AU shuttles depart from various locations: multiple main campus bus stops, the Spring Valley Building, and at stops located outside Tenleytown-AU Metro Station.

From Tenleytown - Separate shuttle buses travel to the main campus and to the Spring Valley Building. The 'Blue Route' shuttle travels to the main campus, while the 'Red Route Express' shuttle travels to the Spring Valley Building. At the Tenleytown point of origin, the 'Red Route Express' shuttle bus stop is located across the street from the 'Blue Route' shuttle bus stop in front of the Wawa store entrance. 

Spring Valley Building Directions
You do not have to show an ID to board the shuttle bus (inform the driver of your destination). After the approximately fifteen minute ride, get off the bus at the Spring Valley Building, the route's last stop. Enter the building and walk straight, towards the elevators. Take an elevator to the fourth floor, where the School of Education is located.

From the main campus - To catch a shuttle bus to the Spring Valley Building from AU's main campus, wait for the 'Red Route Express' bus at the bus stop located directly in front of the Katzen Arts Center on Massachusetts Avenue, NW, per the graphic below. 

Spring Valley Building from main campus
It is a 5-minute ride from Katzen Arts Center to the Spring Valley Building, with no stops in between the two locations. At the next stop - the Spring Valley Building - enter the building and walk straight, towards the elevators. Take an elevator to the fourth floor, where the School of Education is located.

Plan Your Ride - AU Shuttle buses can be tracked via GPS, enabling passengers to easily determine arrival times. Visit AU's Shuttle Services website for schedules, the downloadable AU shuttle bus app TransLoc, and more information.

Parking

In the Spring Valley Building parking garage, there are three levels (1C, 2C and 3C, with 1C being closest to the building's first floor) with ample pay-as-you-go parking spaces available for $2/hour. The availability of parking spaces fluctuates throughout the day. 

There are also a number of pay-as-you-go handicapped-designated parking spaces available on a first come, first-served basis on each level of the parking garage. 

Each floor of the garage has a kiosk for payment located directly in front of the elevators. Payments should be made at kiosks before entering the elevator. You must enter your license plate number in the kiosk. You do not need to put the receipt into your car after paying. The kiosks accept cash ($1 or $5 bills) or credit cards. They do not give change. 

Occupants of the Spring Valley Building parking garage must pay for parking. There are ample pay-as-you-go parking spaces available for $2/hour in the trilevel garage. The availability of parking spaces fluctuates throughout the day. 

Each floor of the garage has a kiosk for payment located directly in front of the elevators. Payments should be made at kiosks before entering the elevator. You must enter your license plate number in the kiosk. You do not need to put the receipt into your car after paying. The kiosks accept cash ($1 or $5 bills) or credit cards. They do not give change.

Nearby Residential Areas - Any individual(s) attending class or an event or doing business in an American University building may not park in residential areas. This is a District of Columbia regulation, which AU must enforce. AU parking staff routinely monitor the residential areas and will issue citations for vehicles parked in violation of the parking policy. Currently, a $200 ticket will be issued for violating this policy. 

Across the Street from the Spring Valley Buiding Entrance - There are parking lots and metered parking spots on the other side of Massachusetts Avenue (across the street from the Spring Valley Building's front entrance, in front of and behind Crate and Barrel) for which you can pay to park.

Please note that you may not park in the parking lots at the back of the Spring Valley Building or in the Wells Frago/CVS parking lot to the left of the building's front entrance.