A Campus Tour

On a beautiful day last week, I took my camera to the Notre Dame campus to give you a glimpse of what, according to some statistics, is Indiana's largest tourist attraction. My husband has taught at Notre Dame for years, my older son and daughter-in-law went there, and when my children were young we lived a few blocks away. On fall evenings we could hear the band practicing and sometimes my husband and the boys would ride their bikes over to watch practice. (My son later played in the ND band, and met his wife there, so early influence can be important!) The place has changed a great deal since then, but here are a few pictures of the classic ND sites, and a few of some of the newer buildings.

We start with the first view of the campus, the open area leading up to the Administration Building, the famous Golden Dome. If it has another name, I don't know what it is. It's just the Dome, and Notre Dame graduates are Domers.


The Basilica of the Sacred Heart. It's beautiful inside, painted in French Baroque style, but I was in a hurry.

A closer view of the Dome, with a statue of St. Joseph in the foreground. Supposedly he's saying, "It's ok, Mary. If you jump, I'll catch you!"

Here's one of the newer landmarks. It's war memorial, dedicated to Notre Dame graduates killed in all wars. Naturally, it's called "Stonehenge." That's the library in the background.

Here's the south side of the Hesburgh library tower. The mural is constructed of Indiana limestone and represents Jesus teaching. I think the official title is something like "The Word of Life," but since the library lines up perfectly behind the north goal of the football stadium and was totally visible to all fans, the mural is always called "Touchdown Jesus."


Neighborhood children used to fly kites on this quadrangle. It's part of the new construction which has made the campus almost unrecognizable to anyone who hasn't seen it recently. The building to the left is the new business school, and to the right is the De Bartolo performing arts center. An ugly building, but a fabulous arts center. It has a movie theater with state of the art projection and sound, two concert/recital halls, a theater, and an organ recital hall (including pipe organ). Although all are under one roof they were built on separate foundations to prevent any sound transfer when two events are happening at the same time.

And one more new building--an appropriate final stop, as it is for many visitors. This is the new bookstore. If anyone was here in the past they might remember the old bookstore on the south quad. That's gone, and here's what we've got instead. A gothic temple to merchandising, packed with every Notre Dame souvenir item you can imagine, and some books too.



People either love Notre Dame, or hate it. Either way, hope you enjoyed the tour. And notice--I didn't mention the football team's season!