Major Gifts to Fund Notre Dame Residence Halls

Dunne Hall will have accommodations for 221 men.

The University of Notre Dame has received two major gifts for the construction of two new residence halls. Jimmy and Susan Dunne and Jay and Mary Flaherty have each donated $20 million for the buildings, which will open in August.

Dunne Hall for men and Flaherty Hall for women are each approximately 71,000 square feet. Flaherty Hall will accommodate 226 women and Dunne Hall will accommodate 221 men.

"We are humbled by the generosity of the Dunnes and Flahertys," said Rev. John Jenkins, president of Notre Dame. "Residence halls are at the heart of a Notre Dame undergraduate education, and these halls will enhance that education for generations to come."

The residence halls will feature student rooms that can fit one to four people and, in Dunne Hall, six people. They will each include community spaces, including a two-story floor lounge, reading room, study areas and chapel. Construction on both halls began in April 2015.

Jimmy Dunne is a 1978 graduate of Notre Dame and a member of the university’s board of trustees. Mary Hesburgh Flaherty is a 1979 Notre Dame graduate and the niece of former Notre Dame President Rev. Theodore Hesburgh, who passed away last year. Jay Flaherty also graduated from Notre Dame in 1979 and is also a member of the board of trustees.