Located in South Bend, Indiana, the University of Notre Dame is one of America’s most prestigious institutions for higher learning. Organized into seven schools, the university is celebrated for its many educational programs in subjects like business, literature, and anthropology. But despite its great renown today, its origins are far humbler. In 1842, the University of Notre Dame was first organized as a frontier school at the behest of a European Catholic order known as the “Congregation of the Holy Cross.” Its leader, Father Edward Sorin, specifically founded the school within a rustic log chapel alongside less than a dozen fellow congregants from France and Ireland. Sorin and his cohort quickly raised several additional buildings in just a matter of months, including an elementary school, a vocational institute, and even an official church. Impressed, the Indiana state legislature eventually granted Sorin’s facility a charter under the title “University of Notre Dame du Lac” some two years later. Over the following decades, the name was shortened to the present “University of Notre Dame.” It also grew slowly, with various administrative officials wishing to only offer a small catalog of courses. Nevertheless, two presidents, Thomas E. Walsh and John Zahm, instituted various improvements to the university curriculum, intent on enhancing the school’s scholastic reputation. Both men oversaw the construction of many more educational facilities, such as libraries, science labs, and state-of-the-art classrooms. Perhaps the greatest building developed amid these periodic expansions was the beautiful Basilica of the Scared Heart, completed during Walsh’s tenure in 1888.

Even though the University of Notre Dame was well-respected throughout the United States by the end of the 1800s, it did not develop its current standing until the start of the 20th century. During the 1920s, university president John W. Cavanaugh decided to further reform the school’s educational standards to the point where it would be recognized as a national center for cutting-edge research. He revolutionized the way the university awarded its degrees and greatly expanded the course offerings to cover topics ranging from chemical engineering to journalism. Additional presidents followed in Cavanaugh’s footsteps, who reorganized the campus to ultimately contain multiple colleges and a law school. Meanwhile, the university’s athletics program underwent a dramatic transformation of its own, particularly regarding its collegiate football team. Known as the “Fighting Irish,” the football team emerged as a dominant force in the nascent world of college sports. Much of this change occurred thanks in large part to its innovative head coach, Knute Rockne. Under Rockne’s guidance, the Fighting Irish would amass an astounding record of 105 wins to 12 loses, including three national championship victories. However, the team’s success had an unintended effect—it spawned a significant source of revenue for the university. The Fighting Irish themselves soon became national icons for generations, with Rockne’s even being immortalized in a special Hollywood film called Knute Rockne: All American. (Future U.S. President Ronald Reagan appeared in the movie as well, playing legendary college quarterback George Gipp.)

The University of Notre Dame experienced yet another substantial period of growth in the wake of World War II, which was presided over by President Theodore Hesburgh. Among his most noteworthy accomplishments involved the increase of both the operating budget and annual endowment. He also managed to enlarge the campus population to house several thousand students. A major contributor to that change was the introduction of the University of Notre Dame as a coeducational compound. (The university specifically absorbed an affiliated, all-girls Saint Mary’s College.) In essence, Hesburgh established the foundation for the university’s modern culture and current academic level of excellence. Indeed, the elevation of the University of Notre Dame to national repute even inspired the U.S. Secretary of the Interior to list several buildings within the school on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1978. Today, the University of Notre Dame continues to be a celebrated educational institute in America. The school hosts over 10,000 students on average, who study several dozen different subjects. In fact, there are more than 50 graduate programs alone at the University of Notre Dame. Its alumni body is also one of the most highly regarded throughout the country, which includes many influential figures like Nobel laurate Eric Wieschaus, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Pro-Football Hall-of-Famer Joe Montana, and television personality Regis Philbin. As such, few schools in the United States can truly rival the heritage present at the illustrious University of Notre Dame.

The Morris Inn at Notre Dame stands today as a brilliant example of Gothic Revival architecture here in the United States. Gothic Revival-style architecture itself is part of the artistic movement known as “Romanticism,” which swept through Europe and North America for much of the 19th century. This demarcated a distinctive break from the Neoclassicism of the century prior, which drew its architectural inspiration from the Greco-Roman civilizations of antiquity. The desire for the medieval design principles of Gothic Revival architecture reflected a broader trend within Western societies—particularly in European countries—to preserve the past in some meaningful way. As such, architects took to preserving the surviving buildings from the period, while also creating new ones that mirrored the aesthetic. The most common structural elements incorporated into buildings developed with Gothic Revival style were the pointed arch. This profound feature manifested in windows, doors, and rooftop gables. Yet, it also influenced the development of entire substructures, causing the creation of such features as mock parapets, conical towers, and high spires. Other characteristics associated with Gothic Revival-style architecture included a special kind of wooden trimming known as either vergeboards or bargeboards. Porches also featured turned posts or slender columns, while the roof was often deeply pitched and lined with dormers. Architects typically used this style for rural buildings set within a historic village or town, although some in the field—such as Thomas Pringle in America—chose it for commercial structures from time to time. Churches were the buildings that featured Gothic Revival style the most, as their natural layout was well-suited to showcase the best of the form.

Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th President of the United States (1953 – 1961) and Supreme Allied Commander Europe during World War II.