[6] The buildings still employed the classic yellow brick and minimal limestone, in order to blend with the pre-existing campus.

[8][9] Howard Hall was also the first building to be named after a lay person – Notre Dame Law Professor, poet, Civil War soldier, historian, first Laetare Medal winner, Indiana State senator, and Indiana Supreme Court Justice Timothy Edward Howard.

Howard Hall is a brick building rising four floors and built in an austere collegiate Gothic style, with low eaves ridges and gables of different sizes.

The archway is surmounted by a large carved bay window that runs thought two floors and climates in an adorned parapet.

[18] Among the bas-relief of the arch are depiction of classic campus images: football, a squirrel, own (symbol of wisdom), and a student poring over books.

Adorning these arches and the other main entrances to Howard are a number of gargoyle-type stone carvings depicting anything from an owl to a student who has just received a less-than-stellar report card.