Badin Hall (University of Notre Dame)


Badin Hall is one of the 31 Residence Halls on the campus of the University of Notre Dame and one of the 14 female dorms. The smallest residence hall on campus, it is located on South Quad, between Howard Hall and the Coleman-Morse center and is the only residence hall with a balcony. Badin Hall is, along with other buildings at Notre Dame, on the National Register of Historic Places. It was named after Fr. Stephen Badin, the first priest ordained in the US and provider of the land where the original Log Cabin was built. Notable alumni include Father Theodore Hesburgh and multiple Heisman Trophy winners.

History

Construction and early years

Before the Main Building at the University burned down in the great fire of 1879 it hosted a Manual Labor School, that was then moved after the fire in a location near currently Walsh Hall. A few years later, the Manual Labor School was moved on wheels to the present location of Badin Hall. The temporary structure was substituted with brick structure and renamed St. Joseph Hall, and hosted the St. Joseph's Industrial School' and was open in November 1897. It was intended to open before the start of the school year, but it did not happen because of a delay in construction. The first floor contained private rooms, a reading room, and a refectory while the second floor contained classrooms, a study hall, and rooms for prefects. A wide staircase led to the third floor, that was used entirely as dormitory. The first director of the new St. Joseph Hall was Rev. Gallagher, who arranged improvements to the rooms and set up a chapel where Mass was said. He provided newspapers and magazines for the boy's free moments. Once enrolled, young men trained to be blacksmiths, bricklayers, carpenters, farmers, and tailors. The goods produced were used by University personnel, and some were sold in South Bend shops.

University dormitory

Due to the conversion from a profitable institution to non-profit, St. Joseph Hall was converted to a men's University dormitory. It underwent major expansions, and it was renamed Badin Hall, in honor of Rev. Stephen Badin. Stephen Badin was the first priest ordained in the United States, and was the previous owner of the land on which the University was built. The first rector of Badin Hall was Rev. Fr. Francis McGarry. From the very beginning, the men of Badin Hall organized in interhall sports, a trademark activity of Notre Dame students. In 1972, Badin become one of the first two residence halls to be converted as a women's dormitory following the acceptance of women into the university. In 1931, the university bookstore, previously located in Main Building, was relocated to the south half of the lower floor of Badin Hall, a space that had undergone a variety of uses; first it was a refectory, then a classroom, and then a recreation room for the members of the Congregation of Holy Cross.

The Navy period

In June 1942, the men of Badin Hall were vacated to make space for the Navy officers, recruits and midshipmen that came to campus to train. The Navy and the University entered in a partnership and a Navy College Training Program was established, This provided the Navy with space and resources for training, while it helped the University recover from the loss in income and enrollment due to World War II. When veterans returned to campus after the war, the vast majority were accommodated in Badin.

Later years

In 1972 Badin Hall became, with Walsh Hall, the first dorm to host women. Badin celebrated its centenary in 1997, and in 1998, the mascot changed from Badin Attitude to the Badin Bullfrogs. Badin became the first residence hall in Notre Dame history to win overall Hall of the Year in consecutive years, winning the prestigious award consecutively in 2010, 2011, and 2012. In 2011, Badin’s first floor was renovated to house students for the first time in the hall’s history. Badin was extensively renovated in the 2017-2018 year, with air-conditioned lounges and kitchens on every floor, and a larger gym. Renovations included a new chapel, since the original industrial building did not include an apt space; the money was donated by Peter and Nancy Baranay. The chapel features stained glass windows from the early 20th century, donated by alumni Charles Hayes and Jon Rittenand originally designed by Franz Xaver Zettler in Munich, Germany, and restored from an old Chicago convent. The residents of Badin Hall moved to Pangborn Hall for the year.

Traditions

Coat of arms of Badin Hall features a frog, is the symbol of Badin, while the three represent the Manual School of St Joseph, which occupied Badin hall, and the palm leaf represents St. Stephen, the patron saint of Stephen Badin and tho whom the chapel is dedicated.
Badin Hall residents generally make up a very tight-knit community due to the small number of residents. Annual events have included the Badin Breakdown, a large scale karaoke event on South Quad, and the Polar Bear Plunge. Throughout the 2000s, Badin was well known as the most frequent champions of Fisher Hall’s annual event, the Fisher Regatta.
During the annual hall photo, senior students stand on the balcony with younger students standing in front of the hall below. Graduates participate in the traditional “Porch Picture” in their cap and gowns, which they often recreate when returning to campus in future years for reunions.
Badin Hall supports the Hope for Nepal charity, which is an initiative that serves Nepal in several ways, including the operation of an orphanage for children who would otherwise be forced to live on the streets. Other events put on by the hall include "A Conscious Christmas" in the winter and the "Polar Bear Plunge" each February in order to raise money for their South Bend charity partner: St. Margaret's House. During the 1960s, a fictional ghost named Harry Hunter was said to inhabit the first floor of the building.

Notable residents