Golden is Thy Fame Open Houses and Exclusive Tours

Take a peek inside exclusive spaces on campus and visit your favorite locations from your time at Notre Dame or new spaces that weren't here then. Open houses and tours will be available from 2:30 PM - 4:00 PM on Thursday, June 2. Transportation will be available and will circulate throughout campus and to the McConnell Family Boathouse for the duration of the open houses and tours. 

 

 

Women's Residence Halls

There are 15 female halls at Our Lady's University, including two of our newest, Flaherty and Johnson Family Hall. Visit your residence hall for an open house to see the renovations and additions to residential life. 

Flaherty Hall was established in 2016 and is one of the newest residence halls on campus. Formally dedicated to recognize Mary Hesburgh Flaherty, the niece of former Notre Dame president, Rev. Theodore Hesburgh, C.S.C., and a 1970 graduate, the hall is located on the Northeast corner of campus.

Johnson Family Hall opened in Fall of 2020 and is home to the Valkyries. A generous gift of Todd, Susan, Matt, and Hilary Johnson, Johnson Family Hall is located on the Northeast corner of campus.

Irish Athletic Center

The 111,400-square-foot Irish Athletic Center was completed in 2019 and serves as an indoor practice facility for the football and men’s and women’s soccer programs. It features a FieldTurf synthetic field and a peaked ceiling that reaches 95 feet, video boards for replays and graphics, and a 1,600- square-foot player lounge.

McConnell Family Boathouse

The McConnell Family Boathouse was completed along the St. Joseph River adjacent to the University of Notre Dame campus in 2015. It serves as the home to the Fighting Irish women’s varsity and men’s club rowing teams and features team spaces, locker rooms, coaches’ offices, and storage bays for racing shells and equipment. 

Rolfs Athletics Hall

The former Rolfs Sports Recreation Center was transformed into Rolfs Athletics Hall, the new men’s and women’s basketball practice facility, in 2019. The 77,000-square-foot facility features two separate practice gyms, each with a full-sized replica of the court in Purcell Pavilion, video rooms, team rooms and locker rooms for both the men’s and women’s programs, coaches’ offices, a strength and conditioning center, a sports medicine facility, and a spectator viewing area.

Walsh Family Hall of Architecture

The Matthew and Joyce Walsh Family Hall of Architecture, home of Notre Dame's School of Architecture, opened in January 2019. Reflecting the unique nature of Notre Dame's architecture program, the 100,000 square foot building is classical in nature, designed as an urban assemblage. It houses the Hall of Casts, the Architecture Library, and three large open architecture studio spaces as well as a variety of research spaces and offices.

Murdy Family Organ

The Murdy Family Organ was completed in late 2016 and dedicated on January 20, 2017 (the Feast of Blessed Basil Moreau, C.S.C.), after a four-year process of building the instrument and preparing the Basilica of the Sacred Heart for its arrival. It stands 40'1" tall and contains four manuals, or keyboards; 70 stops, and more than 5,000 pipes. Through the generosity of Diana and Wayne Murdy, who have watched Murdy children and grandchildren attend Notre Dame, the organ has helped people pray in the midst of joy, grief, celebration, and solemn worship. The organ was built by Paul Fritts and Company of Seattle, WA. More information about the Murdy Family Organ can be found here. 

Father Hesburgh's Office

After retiring as University president in 1987, Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., moved into a book-lined office on the 13th floor of the library named after him, where he would spend much of his days for the next 28 years. Here, Father Hesburgh’s calendar was crowded with writing books and correspondence, formal and impromptu meetings, daily and special Masses, arranged talks, planning trips around the country and world, and an endless succession of media interviews, dinners, and awards ceremonies. His administrative assistant, Melanie Chapleau, kept order in his hectic schedule throughout these years. Rev. Edmund P. Joyce, C.S.C., who served as executive vice president during Hesburgh's 35 years as president, had an office next door until his death in 2004. Father Hesburgh amassed a collection of more than 2,500 books signed by their authors, from Winston Churchill to Harper Lee. He also displayed curios from his travels around the world and some of his hundreds of awards and gifts of all kinds. Besides having one of the best Golden Dome views on campus, the office transformed over the years into a living museum of history and art, ranging from his pictures with presidents and popes to priceless art by famous sculptor Ivan Mestrovic. More information about Father Hesburgh's office can be found here.