UND Washington Hall

Notre Dame, Indiana

Built in 1881 and adorned in 1894 with the artistry of Luigi Gregori and Louis Rusca, Washington Hall stands among the University of Notre Dame’s most storied interiors. When Conrad Schmitt Studios returned to the auditorium in 2024, decades of gray overpaint concealed a Victorian-era masterpiece beneath the surface. Our work paired historic conservation with hand-painted artistry to return this 143-year-old theater to its original splendor.

HISTORY

Built in 1881 after Notre Dame’s original music hall was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1879, Washington Hall was designed by Chicago architect Willoughby J. Edbrooke and named in honor of George Washington. In 1894, artists Luigi Gregori and Louis Rusca transformed the interior with elaborate trompe l’oeil murals, gilded medallions of Shakespeare, Mozart, Beethoven, and Molière, and allegorical figures celebrating the arts. The Chicago Daily Tribune praised it as “the most beautifully finished… college theater in the country.” For decades, Washington Hall hosted commencements, performances, and debates before a 1956 modernization concealed its original artwork beneath layers of gray paint.

CONSERVATION

When Conrad Schmitt Studios’ conservators began exploratory work in early 2024, no one knew how much of the original 1894 decorative scheme had survived. Working inch by inch with scrapers barely a half-inch wide, the conservation team carefully removed decades of overpaint to reveal intricate scrollwork, filigree, and rich tones of gold, plum, and olive green that had remained hidden for nearly 70 years. Rather than the expected 40 percent survival rate, the team uncovered an astonishing 80 to 90 percent of the original artwork—including the original artist’s painted signature, a remarkable discovery rarely encountered during conservation work. Only the area above the proscenium arch had been lost entirely, allowing Conrad Schmitt Studios’ artists to faithfully recreate the missing design using original patterns found elsewhere in the theater.

MURAL WORK

With the historic decor exposed and documented, we translated it into new work for the hall. Our CSS designer used hand tracings of the uncovered 1894 artwork to develop patterns for the areas that could not be salvaged, while CSS muralists hand-painted new canvases and trompe l’oeil scenes both in the studio and on site. The muralists also created new allegorical figures, a trompe l’oeil Pegasus, and freehand floral motifs across the domed ceiling. New ceiling medallions were designed depicting Dionysus, a torch of knowledge, St. Genesius, the patron saint of theater, and a lyre wreathed in laurel. Throughout the space, CSS decorators applied genuine gold leaf to crown moldings and pillar capitals, recreating the luminous finish of the original 1890s gilding.

FINAL RESULT

The restoration of Washington Hall demonstrates how thoughtful conservation and skilled artistry can revive even the most heavily altered historic interiors. By uncovering, conserving, and seamlessly recreating lost decorative elements, we had the honor of returning one of Notre Dame’s most significant spaces to its historic character. The result honors the building’s past while ensuring its continued use and appreciation for generations to come.