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Dedication ceremony celebrates student residence

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Holladay announces new South Bend student residence at Darby Row dedication ceremony

A large crowd assembled in the shadow of Notre Dame to celebrate the completion of the Darby Row student housing development. The dedication ceremony drew a group of neighbors, contractors, bankers, architects, and other individuals interested in learning more about the significant investment Holladay continues to make on Notre Dame Avenue.

John Phair, the President of Holladay Properties, thanked the team of individuals responsible for the success of the project, and asked Doug Hunt, Sr. Vice President of Development, to unveil a plaque on the front façade of the building honoring the project’s namesake.

After the plaque was read, Hunt along with Darby Row Project Manager and Holladay Properties Vice President of Development, Drew Mitchell, made a special announcement about Holladay’s next project, The Belfy; a high-end student housing project to be located just up the street from Darby Row. The new project will sit on the corner of Notre Dame Avenue and the new extension of Campeau Street, on the site of the former Club 23 pub.

The 16,800 square foot development will feature 18 units with a total of 36 bedrooms in a variety of configurations. The new project will also feature unique architectural details, including parapets holding two historic, 120 year old bells, which will be shipped to South Bend from New Orleans.

The Belfry’s name comes from a story that began with the origin of one of its cross streets, Campeau.  According to the archives of Notre Dame University, “in 1844 there was a bell of excellent tone in the college steeple. When the church, the predecessor of the current church, was built, a Mr. Gregory Campeau constructed a belfry said to be beautiful over the sanctuary.”

According to Mitchell, “We are incorporating these fantastic, 350 lb, historical, cast iron bells into the building façade in such a way as to pay homage to Mr. Campeau, an early contributor to Notre Dame architecture, while providing a meaningful and fun way to differentiate our exciting building.  We are thrilled to be a part of the spectacular revitalization that is occurring on the Notre Dame Avenue corridor south of campus.”

Each unit in the Belfry will average 500 square feet or more per bedroom and is fully furnished, with bedroom and living room sets as well as 50-inch flat screen TVs.  An additional bonus of the project is that each bedroom will have its own private bathroom.  While other student housing projects have been announced in the area, The Belfry is certain to stand out in the crowd.

“In addition to having an unbeatable location, Holladay intends to, once again, deliver a product that goes beyond the quality expectations of students, but remains competitively priced,” said Mitchell.  “Our product shows an understanding of the intricacies of the Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s off-campus housing markets and will be a much better match competitively than other student housing projects recently announced.”

Construction of The Belfry will begin next month and the project will be complete in June of 2013. The project has already seen strong pre-leasing activity from students who were on Darby Row’s wait list.

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