With students returning to campus last week, they may have since spotted a little more dust in the air or heard the sound of power tools ringing across quads.
There are multiple major construction projects underway, including a remodel of the Main Circle entrance, a new addition to the Mendoza College of Business and two new residence halls on South Quad.
Construction of the Main Circle entrance began at the end of last school year and is expected to be completed in a few weeks. Originally announced in 2022, the project is part of the University’s celebration of 50 years of undergraduate women at Notre Dame.
“The plaza is a great way to honor the contributions of women over the years to Notre Dame,” University architect Dan Cook said.
Cook, who is also vice president for facilities design and operations, took over Doug Marsh’s position as architect this past June. Marsh had previously worked for the University for 30 years.
The redesign includes landscaping the interior of the circle with flowers and shrubs, as well as adding a bench for visitors to view the Our Lady statue, which has been moved to a slightly different location.
“The goal was to create a ceremonial entrance to campus, where Mary is in a more noticeable position as a statue. There’s so many people that come and go from Main Circle that we wanted to create a memory for them,” Cook said. “[The entrance] feels like a front door.”
In keeping with the mission to honor women’s contributions to the University, the project was designed by Melissa DelVeccio, a 1994 graduate of the University’s architecture program and partner at the architectural firm Robert A.M. Stern Architects. Cook hopes that her work will create a space where students can gather.
“There’s going to be a place to congregate, and the goal was to have a place where the community could engage and people could sit,” Cook said.
The official blessing and grand opening for the plaza is set for Sept. 19. Students are anticipating the completion of the project both for the added plaza space and the opening of the walkway through it, which has been closed since construction began in the spring.
Sophomore Andrew Kammerzell lives in Alumni Hall next to Main Circle, but said the construction has not been a major issue for him.
“Main Circle construction is a bit of an annoyance currently, but Notre Dame is extremely walkable, so I can just take another path,” Kammerzell wrote in a statement to The Observer.
To Kammerzell, the additional construction is worth the annoyance because it will eventually benefit campus.
“If things stayed the same, campus wouldn’t have a chance to improve,” he wrote.
Along with the Main Circle construction, a major addition to the Mendoza College of Business is underway. The addition is on the north side of the building and is expected to be completed in the fall of 2026.
“It’s going to create another entryway to the building from the north side. Instead of having to go around to the sides or the other end of the building, it will be more convenient for students entering from that part of campus,” Cook said.
The first floor of the addition will house classrooms primarily meant for teaching foundational business courses to large sections. A new undergraduate student lounge will surround the classroom space, creating a practical space for students to gather before or after class.
“Students will have access to their professors, there will be some professors with offices on the second floor and Ph.D. students who might be their TAs. There will be spaces for them to congregate,” Cook said.
In addition to the expansion, the construction team completed a state-of-the art trading floor that functions as a study space along with a space for the Mendoza Behavioral Lab, a dedicated research facility in the basement, over the summer. Many of the research studies conducted at the lab are run by students, such as junior research assistant Olivia Quinn.
“The Mendoza Behavioral Research Lab was previously run in various classrooms in the Mendoza basement,“ Quinn said. “We are excited to continue to expand our research this coming year with the construction of team conference rooms, space for equipment to enhance our studies such as virtual reality headsets and eye-tracking glasses, and new monitors and technology to help facilitate research.”
Simultaneously, construction continues on two new residence halls. Coyle Hall will replace Fisher Hall as a male residence hall and is expected to be completed at the end of summer 2026. The former residents of Fisher Hall are living in Zahm Hall until their new home is completed.
Therese Mary Grojean Hall, a new women’s hall, will be completed around the same time and will also welcome its first class of residents next fall. Both residence halls were designed to reflect the unique historical architecture of the other dorms on South Quad, while still boasting modern amenities and large rooms.
“The goal is to complement South Quad and create spaces that respond to the history and character in a meaningful way,“ Cook said. “Even though it looks like an older kind of building, [the new halls] will have all the same things that people expect in a dorm: accessibility, laundry, gym, common spaces, a kitchen and a chapel.”
