Old
College is often called the "Cradle of the University." It
is the oldest structure on campus and has been in continuous
use since it was contructed of bricks made from lake marl in
1843. You might say that this very modest and unpretentious
structure was Notre Dame's first Main building. Father Sorin
had it erected as soon as possible in order to give his
"university" some semblance of credibility, and Old College
was initially a square, multi-purpose building that housed
classrooms, the refectory, and sleeping quarters. He planned
the building with Brother Francis Xavier Patois, C.S.C., a
carpenter from Clermont, France, whose on-the-job training
would render him the unofficial architect of several of
Notre Dame's earliest buildings.
Old
College was Notre Dame's first landmark structure, and it's
known for the time-worn wooden sign that not only spells out
its name in clumsy letters, but also signifies the
building's long history. Over the years, Old College has
been enlarged and modified countless times for a variety of
uses-convent, band headquarters, bakery, farmhouse, guest
house, and retreat house. During a campus housing shortage
in the early 1970s, Old College housed a group of Notre Dame
freshmen, and because a priest named
