Donation from Minnesota family will help pay for Notre Dame residence hall

Johnson Family Hall, set to open in 2020, will be the university's 32nd residence hall and the 15th dedicated to women.

A donation from a Minnesota family will enable the University of Notre Dame to build a women’s residence hall on the northeast side of campus.

The university says in a news release that the gift from Todd, Susan, Matthew and Hilary Johnson of Duluth, Minn., will help pay for the construction of Johnson Family Hall, a student housing facility for 225 women set to open in 2020.

“The Johnsons, an exceptionally generous family, have exhibited that generosity in making possible this hall at Notre Dame bearing their name,” said Rev. John I. Jenkins, university president.

The amount of the donation was not disclosed.

The character and design of the 70,000-square-foot Johnson Family Hall will be unique, the uniersity says. It will integrate elements of campus architecture and Notre Dame residence hall traditions, including a chapel, courtyard and various spaces for studying and socializing.

Johnson Family Hall will be the 32nd residence hall on campus and increases the number of women’s halls to 15. Johnson Hall will be east of Flaherty and Dunne residence halls.

Todd is chairman and CEO of Capstan Corporation, and his wife, Susan is a speech-language pathologist with Duluth Public Schools. 

Their children, Matthew and Hilary, are recent Notre Dame graduates.

Along with the Johnsons, additional benefactors contributing to the construction of Johnson Family Hall include Celeste and Kevin Ford; Carol and Bill Hoffmann; Molly and Geof Meyers; Clare and Jerry Richer; and Shayla and Chip Rumely of Atlanta, Georgia.

About the Author

Mike Kennedy

Senior Editor

Mike Kennedy has been writing about education for American School & University since 1999. He also has reported on schools and other topics for The Chicago Tribune, The Kansas City Star, The Kansas City Times and City News Bureau of Chicago. He is a graduate of Michigan State University.

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