Construction is underway for a new—and still unnamed—women’s residence hall north of the Hammes Notre Dame Bookstore. Scheduled to open in the fall of 2009, the new dorm will occupy 74,600 square feet and house 248 female students.

Underwritten by an anonymous benefactor, the dorm is the second of four residence halls the University is slated to build. The first one, the all-male Duncan Hall, will welcome its first batch of residents in August. The other two dorms—one men’s and one women’s—will be located east of Knott and Pasquerilla East Halls. Currently there is not a specific timeline for the construction of these two dorms.

The addition of the four buildings is expected to alleviate problems of overcrowding in the campus housing system. The University also is planning to renovate some of the older dorms, including Keenan and Stanford Halls, to make them a more comfortable and appealing living option for students.