For many, the dream of heaven is golden streets and pearly gates, but for Notre Dame fans their glimpse of heaven is the golden dome atop of the administration building. Notre Dame is the home of the Fighting Irish football team. This college has a strong Irish-Catholic background with very dedicated staff. The building was built under the direction of Rev. Edward R. Sorin, CSC.

The home of the “Golden Dome” has a rocky history. The building burnt down in 1879 and the staff of Notre Dame feared the worse. After they found a worthy contractor to help in the restoration, they started uncovering a miracle. This building had undergone several updates to cover up old structures. The glory of the burning is that it uncovered beautiful murals and stencils dating as far back as the 1800s. The internal structural damage was minimal. The only thing that was questionable was the imperfections from the use of green wood when the structure was originally built. The reconstruction took place and the disaster has become null and void. Now, currently they are restoring the Golden Dome itself. They use real gold leaf on the dome to make it glisten in the sunshine. There is a beautiful statue of Mother Mary atop this dome. The Notre Dame students wake up every morning to see this gleaming building, and it shines as a constant reminder that, even if you fall, you can always come back better. This building also is a self-advertisement for the campus. It is the first thing you see as you exit the road towards the college campus. With the campus sitting in the middle of nowhere, it is like a local Taj Mahal.

Whether it is a spiritual inspiration or a sports fan's inspiration, the Golden Dome holds a lot of meaning to every individual who has seen it. The college also offers historical tours to get all of the details.