{"id":3862,"date":"2014-05-07T10:44:28","date_gmt":"2014-05-07T14:44:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.archives.nd.edu\/about\/news\/?p=3862"},"modified":"2014-05-07T10:44:28","modified_gmt":"2014-05-07T14:44:28","slug":"memorial-library-dedication-1964","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/ndarchives\/memorial-library-dedication-1964\/","title":{"rendered":"Memorial Library Dedication 1964"},"content":{"rendered":" <\/a>
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Notre Dame’s Memorial Library (renamed the Hesburgh Library in 1987) was formally dedicated on May 7, 1964. \u00a0Its doors officially opened for student use in the fall of 1963, although the famous “Word of Life” mural wouldn’t be installed until the following spring.<\/p>\n

Lemonnier Library (now called Bond Hall) was the previous library and opened in 1917 after having outgrown its space on the fifth floor of Main Building. \u00a0A few decades later, rumblings for a new library could be heard on campus. \u00a0On \u00a0April 17, 1945, University President Rev. J. Hugh O’Donnell\u00a0outlined the future of Notre Dame in his keynote speech to the Alumni Club of Chicago at Universal Notre Dame Night: \u00a0“The need for a new library building also\u00a0becomes more apparent every day. \u00a0When\u00a0it is built, the present structure will\u00a0comfortably, but no more than comfortably,\u00a0house the Wightman Memorial Art\u00a0Gallery, the archives, and the museum” [Alumnus<\/em>, June 1945<\/a>, page 6].<\/p>\n

In 1950, University Archivist Rev. Thomas McAvoy lamented the lack of space needed\u00a0for the newly acquired General William Tecumseh Sherman Family Papers<\/a>. \u00a0Alumnus\u00a0<\/em>wrote, “Until a new library is built on the\u00a0campus, and the present structure [Bond Hall] is\u00a0turned into an art gallery and museum,\u00a0students and visitors to the campus will\u00a0be unable to view the collection of possessions\u00a0and mementoes of the famed\u00a0Civil War commander, since there is no\u00a0room to exhibit it under present conditions” [Alumnus<\/em>, March-April 1950<\/a>, page 18].<\/p>\n

\"Cover
Cover of the fundraising brochure for the Memorial Library (later renamed Hesburgh Library)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The idea for a new library wouldn’t become more concrete until University President Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh announced the Challenge\u00a0fundraising campaign in 1958. \u00a0Like his predecessors, Hesburgh had big dreams for Notre Dame. \u00a0He had a grand vision for a large library that would continue to elevate Notre Dame as a premiere institute of higher learning. \u00a0As with any ambitious building project, funds need to be raised and sites need to be considered. \u00a0Some location options for the new Memorial Library included the razing of Main Building<\/a>, a building long in need of repair and expansion. \u00a0Another potential site was in between Sorin Hall and Bond Hall, but the site finally chosen was on the eastern outskirts of campus with anticipation of growth of the quad north of Notre Dame Stadium.<\/p>\n

\"Detail
Detail of an architectural sketch of a proposed plaza and library on the site of Main Building, c1960<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ground was broken in the summer of 1961, after razing most of Vetville<\/a> and Navy Drill Hall<\/a>. \u00a0Construction advanced rapidly and the 14-story building was topped out on April 3, 1962<\/a>. \u00a0Books were moved out of Lemonnier Library and Memorial Library was ready for occupancy on September 18,\u00a01963.<\/p>\n

\"Men
Men (students?) moving the 475,000 books from Lemonnier Library (Bond Hall) to the new Hesburgh Memorial Library using 2000 Black Label Beer boxes, August\u00a01963.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The last step in construction was to install the famous “Word of Life” mural, commonly known as “Touchdown Jesus.” \u00a0Father Hesburgh recognized that a massive building with few windows needed ornamentation as a counterbalance. \u00a0On a trip to Mexico, Hesburgh was inspired by iconography on the Central Library at the Universidad Nacional Aut\u00f3noma de M\u00e9xico<\/a> in Mexico City. \u00a0Notre Dame hired artist Millard Sheets<\/a> to design a mural for the new Memorial Library with Christ the Teacher at the center, surrounded by prophets and scholars of the Catholic Church. \u00a0As Hesburgh intended with the physical building, the mural\u00a0united Church and education, a concept\u00a0often at odds with modern secular scholars.<\/p>\n

\"Construction
Construction of the Word of Life Mural for Memorial Library (later Hesburgh Library), c1962. Workers, including Mrs. Hertel, are comparing the cast panels to colors per stone samples.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The mural consists of over 6000 pieces of granite in a multitude\u00a0different\u00a0colors and textures found in quarries around the world. \u00a0The pieces were cut and assembled at\u00a0the Cold Spring Granite Company in Minnesota. \u00a0The mural itself is not attached directly to the building, but floats in front of it. \u00a0There is a bit of space in between to allow for the expansion and contraction of materials during weather changes. \u00a0During installation, tarps covered the work so that the mural would not be seen until complete. \u00a0The strong winds of Northern Indiana did not always comply and\u00a0allowed visitors to peek through the blowing tarps to the artwork underneath.<\/p>\n

The Memorial Library Dedication ceremonies in May 1964, were\u00a0filled with all the traditional Notre Dame pomp and circumstance. \u00a0On May 6, Eugene Cardinal Tisserant, Dean of the Sacred College of Cardinals and Prefect of the Vatican Library, celebrated Solemn Pontifical Mass on Library Quad, and Albert Cardinal Meyer, Archbishop of Chicago, said the homily. \u00a0The third Cardinal in attendance was Joseph Cardinal Ritter, Archbishop of Saint Louis, who blessed Memorial Library on May 7th. \u00a0As noted in Notre Dame<\/em>, “Presidents of 15 college and universities, ranging from Princeton in the East to California in the West, were among 25 celebrated figures who received honorary degrees from Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, CSC, Notre Dame’s president at the convocation” [1964 Special Issue, page 3].<\/p>\n

\"Memorial
Memorial Library Dedication \u2013 An ROTC color guard in front of the Library, 1964\/0507.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A salutation from Pope Paul VI read at the dedication declares, “We gladly send you Our greetings and felicitations on the dedication of the new Memorial Library at Notre Dame. \u00a0We pray that this additional repository of wisdom and knowledge may serve as a valuable instrument in the pursuit of truth and the defense and development of faith. \u00a0It will undoubtedly enhance the prestige of the University, and increase its efficiency in the academic mission so highly praised by Our illustrious Predecessor, Benedict XV. \u00a0… Rejoicing, therefore, on the inauguration of the new Memorial Library, and praying that it will contribute richly to the advancement of truth, We invoke upon the University of Notre Dame an abundance of illuminating divine graces; and in pledge, thereof, We lovingly bestow upon you, beloved son, and impart to the professors, students and personnel, Our particular paternal Apostolic Blessing” [quoted from Notre Dame<\/em>, 1964 special issue, page 2].<\/p>\n

\"Memorial<\/a>
Memorial Library Dedication – Ceremonies on Library Quad, view from above, 1964\/0507.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sources:
\n<\/em>Scholastic<\/a>
\nAlumnus<\/a>
\n<\/em>PNDP 10-He-01
\n<\/a>PNDP 83-Nd-3s “Notre Dame”: \u00a0Special Issue for the Notre Dame Memorial Library Dedication, 1964
\nUNDD
\nGPHR 45\/4739
\n<\/a>GPHR 22\/02<\/a>
\nGNDL 5\/30
\n<\/a>GDIS 20\/10<\/a>
\nhttp:\/\/video.nd.edu<\/a><\/p>\n

“Visualizing the Modern Catholic University: \u00a0The Original Intention of ‘Touchdown Jesus’ at the University of Notre Dame,” by Margaret M. Grubiak<\/p>\n

“Word of Life Mural,” Hesburgh Libraries (http:\/\/library.nd.edu\/about\/history\/mosaic.shtml<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Words of Life<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>by Bill Schmitt<\/p>\n ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" <\/a>

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Notre Dame’s Memorial Library (renamed the Hesburgh Library in 1987) was formally dedicated on May 7, 1964. \u00a0Its doors officially opened for student use in the fall of 1963, although the famous “Word of Life” mural wouldn’t be installed until the following spring. Lemonnier Library (now called Bond Hall) was the previous library and opened … Continue reading “Memorial Library Dedication 1964”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n ","protected":false},"author":4370,"featured_media":3883,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3862","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nd-history"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-19 02:40:07","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/ndarchives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3862","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/ndarchives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/ndarchives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/ndarchives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4370"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/ndarchives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3862"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/ndarchives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3862\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/ndarchives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3883"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/ndarchives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3862"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/ndarchives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3862"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/ndarchives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3862"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}