Bond Hall (University of Notre Dame)

Lemmonier Library (1917-1964)

The current Bond Hall was built as Lemmonier Library in 1917 for $200,000 to replace the University's first library which was hosted on the third four in the east wing of the Main Building. The location of the new library, in the middle of the University farms, was also intended to make it less vulnerable to fire. Architect Edward Lippincott Tilton of New York designed the two-story, Beaux Arts Classical structure, which was made from Indiana limestone. Rev. Thomas J. Shahan, D.D. blessed and dedicated the new library building on June 10, 1917, during the University's Diamond Jubilee celebrations. The building was named for Rev. Auguste Lemonnier, C.S.C. (1839-1874), the fourth president of Notre Dame from 1872 to 1874. Fr. Lemonnier was the creator of Notre Dame’s first central circulating library in 1873.^[3] The great fire of 1879 destroyed all but 500 of the library’s 10,000 books. Following that disaster, the library’s collection grew to about 100,000 volumes when the move to the new Lemonnier Library was completed in 1917.^[4]

Architecture Building (1964-1995)

The building served as a library until September 18, 1963, when the Memorial Library (now Hesburgh Library) was finished and all of the books were transferred into it.^[5]

Main entrance to Bond Hall, with a scale model of the Parthenon's columns

The vacant Lemmonier Library was given to the Department of Architecture. The head of the department at the time, Frank Montana, designed plans to renovate the interiors to fit the new needs of the Architecture school.^[6][7] The original limestone exterior with Ionic detailing on the east side was preserved and restored. A 10,000 square feet (930 m²) addition was added to the west elevation. The main challenge during the renovation was the removal of the library stacks, which had a structural function in the building.

The interior was reconfigured to serve its new functions as an architecture building and to correspond with its original classical character. The main lobby became an exhibit hall, flanked on the north by the Architecture Library and on the south by a new lecture hall. The basement contained a darkroom and classrooms, and the mezzanine and second floor were converted into classroom space. The renovation itself was a learning experience for the architectural students.^[6]

Upon competition of the renovation, the new Architecture Hall hosted its first classes on November 9, 1964, while finishing touches were still being added. The formal dedication occurred on May 1, 1965, presided by Rev. Theodore Hesburgh, the University president, and Pietro Belluschi, dean of the School of Architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.^[8][9]

In 1973, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places.^[10]

Bond Hall (1995-present)

Concert on the Steps at Bond Hall, by the Band of the Fighting Irish

A subsequent renovation occurred in 1995, during which the building was closed for 18 months. The $12 million renovation was made possible by a $5 million gift from William W. Bond, Jr. ('50) and his wife Joanne. The Architecture department moved temporarily to the Hayes-Healy Center and Hurley Hall, which had been vacated by the School of Business for its move to the newly constructed Mendoza College of Business. The renovation also included an American Renaissance style 20,000 square-foot addition on the west side designed by Ellerbe Becket under the guidance of architecture chairman Thomas Gordon Smith.^[11][12]

The building was rededicated as Bond Hall of Architecture on March 21, 1997, presided by Rev. Edward Malloy. The speakers included internationally renowned architects Allan Greenberg, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, and Demetri Porphyrios, who received honorary degrees from the School of Architecture.^[13]