South Bend, IN (SportsNetwork.com) - A wide-ranging building project at Notre Dame will expand the football stadium by some 4,000 seats, the school said on Wednesday.
The $400 million project is considered the largest in the 172-year history of the storied the school and will create more than 750,000 square feet in three new buildings attached to the west, east and south sides of the stadium.
"We believe the investment in these new facilities, which will house new research and teaching venues, several academic departments, a much-expanded student center, a digital media center and a variety of hospitality and programming spaces, will greatly enhance the campus experience for all those who study, live, work here and visit Notre Dame, as well as new amenities that will deliver outstanding game day experiences for Irish fans," said Notre Dame president, Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C.
Construction will begin in two years, or sooner, and will take about 33 months to complete.
The plan features three new structures attached to and serving the stadium -- a west building for student life services, including space for student organizations, a recreation center and career center; an east building for the anthropology and psychology departments and a digital media center; and a south building for the Department of Music and the Sacred Music at Notre Dame program.
Buildings for the east and west will include some 3,000 to 4,000 premium seats for the football stadium with supporting club amenities. A hospitality area also is planned for the new building on the south end of the stadium.
Current capacity for Notre Dame Stadium, built in 1930, is 80,795 and should increase to about 84,000. It was last expanded, with a superstructure around the original brickwork, in 1997.
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