Notre Dame will break ground Thursday on the all-male Duncan Hall, the first of four new dormitories the University hopes to build in the next 10 years.
The new building, funded by 1952 Notre Dame graduate Raymond T. Duncan, will be completed by the summer of 2008 and house students that fall, Executive Vice President John Affleck-Graves said Monday.
"We put it on accelerated time schedule because we're very eager [to finish the project]," Affleck-Graves said. "We know that there's urgent needs on campus right now."
Duncan Hall will house 232 students and stand next to McGlinn Hall, which was the last dorm built by the University, completed in 1997.
The University is not disclosing the total cost of the dorm, said Shannon Chapla, assistant director for News and Information.
Chapla said Duncan Hall will ease the housing crunch in men's dorms that have converted spaces to increase occupancy, but she could not provide a breakdown of what reductions individual dorms would see.
Affleck-Graves said the University has three main goals for Duncan Hall and the three other dorms it wants to build: Reduce the stress of overcrowding in current dorms, accommodate more transfer students with additional on-campus housing options and allow juniors and seniors more on-campus living arrangements with more singles, doubles and triples.
Duncan Hall will feature six sections with mixes of singles, doubles, triples and quads. Each room for four will include a private bathroom and bay windows. Every section will have a social lounge, a study area, a kitchen and vending machines.
"Ray's remarkable generosity to Notre Dame will provide a significant improvement to the quality of student life on campus," University President Father John Jenkins said in a statement. "He can take great comfort in considering the generations of Notre Dame students who will reap the benefits of his contribution."
The additional amenities are part of the University's long-term plan to increase the attractiveness of on-campus housing, Affleck-Graves said. He said the University's plan is to add more common spaces and amenities to current dorms once the school completes construction on the four new dorms in its 10-year plan.
Duncan Hall will be the University's 29th dormitory and 15th for men. Duncan is president of Duncan Oil Inc. and owner of Silver Oak Cellars in Oakville, Calif.
