Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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20 PRESEASON 2016 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED AT A CROSSROADS The enormous three-year construction project surpasses its halfway point BY LOU SOMOGYI T he largest building initiative in Notre Dame's nearly 175 years has reached year two of a three- year endeavor. The "Campus Crossroads" con- struction began in November 2014 and isn't scheduled to be completed until August 2017. As a result, the aesthetics around Notre Dame Sta- dium will remain less than ideal dur- ing the 2016 football season. Of the three new structures that will be attached to the edifice, the first one that will be put to use — though far from a finished product yet — will be the east side, or the one closer to the Joyce Convocation Center. That will house the anthropology and psy- chology departments, a digital media center and the new press box. The press box had been located on the west side since the stadium's opening in 1930, but has been moved over to accommodate premium seat- ing with supporting club amenities on the west side. There also will be premium seating on the east side (about 3,000 to 4,000 combined). The west building will feature student life initiatives, including athletic and recreation centers. The south building, opposite from The Hesburgh Memorial Library with the "Touchdown Jesus" mural, will be for the Department of Music and the Sacred Music program. Construction also has begun for a video board on that side, although it will not be in operation until the 2017 football season. Overall, the $400 million project includes construction of more than 750,000 square feet of classroom, re- search, student facility, digital media, performance, meeting, and event and hospitality space. ✦ PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND