Legendary landmarks are prevalent throughout the gorgeous campus of Notre Dame. One of the more famous of these happens to be the primary building of the library system of the school – the Theodore Hesburgh Library. It is affectionately referred to as Touchdown Jesus.
The building first opened its doors on September 18th, 1963. Reportedly the library has 3.39 million volumes, making it the 61st largest collection among all U.S. research universities. Father Theodore Martin Hesburgh served as Notre Dame’s President for 35 years, from 1952 through 1987. Originally the library was named the Memorial Library, however upon his retirement in 1987, the powers that be renamed the library to Theodore Hesburgh Library.
The south side of the building faces the Notre Dame football stadium. On its facade is a mural that is known as the “Word of Life”. Depicted on the mural is the resurrected Jesus Christ. The mural was designed by Millard Owen Sheets who was an American painter, teacher, educational director, and architect. He was commissioned for artwork at several high profile institutes including not only at Notre Dame, but at places such as the National Shrine in Washington, D.C., the Mayo Clinic, the Honolulu Hilton Hotel, the Detroit Public Library and at numerous other sites.
Father Hesburgh wanted the theme of the mural to be about saints and scholars throughout the ages. The term “Word of Life” is a representation of a passage from the Bible in the Book of John. John 1:1-5 “The Word of Life” – In the beginning was the Word: the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things came to be, not one thing had its being but through him. All that came to be had life in him, and that life was the light of men, a light that shines in the dark, a light that darkness could not overpower.
Mr. Sheets placing of Jesus and the disciples at the top is distinct because he states that Jesus is the greatest teacher of all time.
The mural was a $200,000 gift from Mr. and Mrs. Howard V. Phalin of Winnetka, Illinois. Phalin was a 1928 graduate of Notre Dame. He was originally a salesman for World Book Encyclopedia, becoming a sales manager for that firm in 1951. He eventually became vice president of the educational division of Marshall Fields when that company bought out World Book. He was a lifetime trustee of the University of Notre Dame. Howard also was chairman of DePaul University and chairman of the board of Governors State University, amongst his many other endeavors.
The mural consists of 324 panels, of which 189 are precast panel units. The remaining 135 are solid granite and Mankato stone. In all, 81 different stones, in 171 finishes, originating from 16 countries were used in its fabrication. Millard Sheets painting was converted into the mural by Cold Spring Granite Company. The depiction is 134 feet high and 68 feet wide. The library itself is 210 feet tall on a site 315 square feet. The interior is 429,780 square feet. There are two large lower floors that are capped by a narrower, almost windowless tower of 13 stories, while the top of the structure is capped by a smaller penthouse.
The current library is actually the third building used to house the University’s library collection. The University of Notre Dame was founded in 1842. The first mention of a library was in 1869 which supposedly had a cache of over 7,000 volumes on hand. The first true library was housed in the Main Building of the campus in 1873. In April of 1879, that Main Building and all but 500 books were destroyed in a fire. In September of that same year, a new Main Building which housed the library was rebuilt and opened. Later, in 1917, a new separate library, the University Library was opened with nearly 100,000 volumes. Groundbreaking for the Memorial Library began in 1961, culminating with its opening in 1963.
The Ellerbe Company of St. Paul, Minnesota was selected as architects for the library. The design was greatly influenced by the most current library use concepts such as advocating open access to the stacks, and the idea that large open spaces held many distractions and were not necessarily the preferred study environment of all individuals. Another influential idea was that by eliminating most interior walls and having a system of regularly spaced columns to support the ceiling, areas could be transformed readily into reader or staff areas. Also, since both library users and staff needed to use the card catalog, libraries built at this time were designed with large main floors, with both public and technical services operations grouped near the catalog. With respect to the use of windows, the school of thought which influenced the design of the Memorial Library was that windows led to changeable and uneven light conditions, unpleasant glare at some times of the day, inconsistency of temperature control, and a distraction for readers.
My very first recollection of Notre Dame football was listening to the radio broadcast of the 1964 USC game. A loss in the last couple of minutes that cost the Fighting Irish the National Championship. The following year, during a television broadcast was the very first time that I ever saw the Memorial Library. What a site to behold! Notre Dame Stadium, the Golden Dome (the Administration Building), the campus itself, and of course – the Memorial Library. I don’t honestly remember the first time that I heard it referred to as Touchdown Jesus. It may or may not have been with that telecast.
The south side of the library building contains the mural and it can be seen from Notre Dame Stadium. It has the image of Jesus with arms upraised. That image can be conjectured with that of an official uplifting his arms to signify that a touchdown has been scored, thus Touchdown Jesus. I believe that with almost every Notre Dame football game that has been televised, they will show the Hesburgh Library with the view of that mural at least once during the production.
I always make a stop to check out the library up close. Of course, it can be viewed from many vantage points across campus. However, there is a reflection pool directly to the south of the building. It is a good spot to sit down and just rest and take in this amazing sight. An idyllic spot to take photographs and people watch. Another jewel on the beautiful campus of the University of Notre Dame.
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