South Bend, Indiana – 16 February 2017 –
The Morris Inn at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend Indiana has been selected for membership in the Historic Hotels of America programme of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
The AAA Four Diamond Morris Inn is one of just 295 hotels and resorts throughout the country that have been recognised by Historic Hotels of America for preserving and maintaining its historic integrity, architecture and ambiance. The new designation comes as the inn joins celebrating Notre Dame’s 175th anniversary.
To be selected for membership in Historic Hotels of America, a hotel must be at least 50 years old, have been designated by the US Secretary of the Interior as a National Historic Landmark or listed in or eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places and be recognized as having historic significance.
The gift to build the Morris Inn was donated by Notre Dame student Ernest M. Morris. In 1902, Morris could not pay his tuition, so he asked the school president for two favours: to let him continue enrollment on credit, and to take care of his horse Dexter. The university agreed and Morris went on to graduate, eventually founding his own investment firm. He donated US$1 million to aid the University in its post-war expansion, and Morris Inn was constructed in his honor.