The second-oldest building on campus, after Old College, was Brownson Hall. It is no more.
Situated between the Main Building and Lewis Hall, the two-story structure built with the distinctive, yellow “Notre Dame brick” was torn down in January. Additional space for the Institute for Educational Initiatives in a building to be known as Remick Family Hall, designed in a French architectural style similar to Brownson's, will occupy the space.
Built around 1855, Brownson Hall had many uses across its history, including service as a convent and the University kitchens. Most recently it housed the Office of Sustainability, the Haiti Program and other campus initiatives.
The University’s decision to reconstruct the building inspired a “requiem” that appeared in The Observer and the South Bend Tribune from Paulette G. Curtis, a former director of the AnBryce Scholars Initiative in the Office of Pre-College Programs, which were based in Brownson Hall. Curtis lamented the loss of a piece of Notre Dame history that dates back to the era of founding president Rev. Edward Sorin, CSC.
“Years ago, a carpenter working in Brownson told me that Sorin probably laid the foundation of sections of the building himself,” Curtis writes. “What an amazing thing. And what a shame, if true, that his handiwork — literally the work he designed with his own hands — will soon be a thing of the past.”
Senior University photographer Matt Cashore ’94 documented Brownson Hall inside and out after the news of its planned replacement in May and during the winter demolition:
![Brownson1](/assets/350227/1200x/brownson1.jpg)
Ivy blooms on the south side of Brownson Hall in May 2019. The archway leads to a central courtyard that will remain after the construction of Remick Family Hall.
![Brownsonsustainability](/assets/350244/1200x/brownsonsustainability.jpg)
Recent occupants of Brownson Hall included the Office of Sustainability.
![Brownsoninterior1](/assets/350223/1200x/brownsoninterior1.jpg)
![Brownsoninterior2](/assets/350221/1200x/brownsoninterior2.jpg)
![Brownsonradiator](/assets/350248/1200x/brownsonradiator.jpg)
As these interior scenes show, historic Brownson Hall had seen better days.
![Brownson3](/assets/350225/1200x/brownson3.jpg)
![Brownson2](/assets/350226/1200x/brownson2.jpg)
![Brownson5](/assets/350222/1200x/brownson5.jpg)
Crews completed the demolition of Brownson Hall in January under the glint of the Golden Dome.
![Remickfamilyhall](/assets/341723/1137x/remickfamilyhall.jpg)
A rendering of Remick Family Hall, which will open in 2021. The building will house the Institute for Educational Initiatives, which includes the Alliance for Catholic Education.
Jack Lyons, a junior studying theology and journalism, is an intern for this magazine.