The Board of Trustees approved a measure Friday morning to rename New Hall as Philip Amsterdam Hall in honor of a prominent GW trustee who passed away last year.

The renaming request was made by Amsterdam’s son and approved by the Board of Trustees Friday at the governing body’s spring meeting. Amsterdam, who died in March of 2008, left a $5 million bequest to the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration, established the Hortense Amsterdam House on G Street, and made several gifts to the President’s Fund for Excellence, according to a Board of Trustees memorandum.

New Hall, which was built in 1997, is located on H street between 23rd and 24th streets. Trustee Nelson Carbonell, the Board’s vice chairman, said the University was pleased to rename the building.

“New Hall was not named after Mr. and Mrs. New, believe it or not,” Carbonell said. “It was named by [Executive Vice President and Treasurer] Lou Katz’s creative real estate team.”