245 Beacon Street to Be Named John T. Hayden Hall

Boston College has received more than $55 million from the estate of the late John T. Hayden ’70, a San Francisco Bay Area attorney and real estate investor who died of leukemia in 2024. In recognition of his generosity, BC will name 245 Beacon Street, the integrated science building, John T. Hayden Hall and establish the John T. Hayden Theatre Department Fund in his memory.

Hayden, who grew up in Washington, DC, transferred to Boston College as a junior. At the Heights, he came into his own in the classroom and on the stage, appearing in BC theatrical productions throughout his undergraduate years. He was also an avid Eagles football fan who continued to track game results long after graduation.

After earning a degree from UCLA Law, Hayden practiced labor and employment law at Littler Mendelson P.C. in San Francisco, eventually making partner. He enjoyed his career, yet his true passion lay in real estate. At the age of 45, he left law to pursue it full time. Over the years, he built a large real estate portfolio of approximately 1,000 units across nine states.

Throughout his life, Hayden was deeply loved by his family and friends. As an adult, he enjoyed spending time with the San Francisco Hiking Club. He was also a passionate gardener and landscaper, world traveler, and regular performer in local musical theater productions. 

Joseph Gillach, Hayden’s friend and trustee of his estate, said Boston College always had a place in Hayden’s heart. “John didn’t spend money on himself. He spent it on the people and places that mattered to him,” he shared. “This gift is a reflection of what BC gave him.”

At the Heights, John had a reputation of being studious and diligent. “He’d read all the material for class—both the required and the recommended readings,” reflected Matthew McEntee ’70, who met Hayden at BC in 1968. “He also had a great singing voice and a real stage presence.”

“John Hayden’s gift will benefit many for generations to come,” said University President Jack Butler, S.J. “John’s Boston College education is manifested in this gift because it encapsulates Ignatius of Loyola’s prayer for generosity. Clearly, he was a man for others who understood what he received was meant to be shared.”

David Quigley, the Robert L. and Judith T. Winston Provost and Dean of Faculties, said naming 245 Beacon for Hayden is a fitting tribute. “John embodied the Jesuit ideal of the whole person: rigorous in mind, generous in spirit, and ever alive to beauty and culture,” said Quigley. “Hayden Hall will stand as a reminder of a life shaped by a rigorous liberal arts education.”

John didn’t spend money on himself. He spent it on the people and places that mattered to him. This gift is a reflection of what BC gave him.”

—Joseph Gillach

“We are incredibly fortunate that more and more alumni are including Boston College in their estates,” says Financial Vice President and Treasurer John Burke. “John Hayden’s gift highlights the extraordinary, lifelong connection that so many have with BC, and I hope it will inspire others to consider naming BC in their estate plans.”

The newly named Hayden Hall is a 150,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art science facility in the heart of the Boston College Chestnut Hill Campus. Its key features include the Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society, the Edmund H. Shea Jr. Center for Entrepreneurship, and the departments of engineering and computer science, as well as maker spaces, teaching labs, classrooms, an auditorium, and a café.

The John T. Hayden Theatre Department Fund will support excellence in the BC theatre department, including theatrical programming and improvements to Robsham Theater Arts Center.

In addition to Boston College, Hayden included St. John’s College High School in Washington, DC, and Georgetown University in his estate—institutions that played a formative role in his academic and personal development.