It is still the hallmark building of the St. John's campus. The Great Hall, probably designed by Clarke as a lecture hall, is surrounded by a second story gallery and lit by a large candelabra. Now it is used for freshman chorus class, musical performances, plays, lectures, and student waltz parties. Portraits of St. John's presidents line the walls. Downstairs, in the building's original kitchen, the college coffee shop serves as the informal center of St. John's social life.
Characteristics are the projecting wall plane and the centered pediment in front.
The front porch probably dates from when the building was popular in the southern colonies from about 1780 to 1830. The exterior of McDowell has not been altered since it was finished in 1789 except by the 1903 addition of a Seneca stone porch at the east entrance. Throughout the years, McDowell has had a variety of uses. Two banquets and ball were given in the Great Hall for General Lafayette when he visited Annapolis in 1824. By the beginning of the 19th century McDowell had been converted into something like its present form, with small rooms for classes and administrative offices on either side of the Great Hall.