[5] The construction of these dorms was needed to obviated the on-campus housing shortage due to the rapid increase in student population after World War I.

[11] The northern wing, which was started in late 1926, completed the quadrangle towards Morrissey and Howard and features an archway and a view on the lake.

[13] The three new dorms were seen as the most modern and most beautiful on campus at the time when built, and Lyons in particular was appreciated for integrating views of the lake in its design.

[15] At the 1972 An Tóstal celebrations, an annual spring event with games and competitions, Lyons Hall hired an elephant from a local circus for the tug-o-war.

[20] The tradition was revived in 2013, when Ed Hums, professor of accountancy, and his wife, Shirley ’97MNA, from IT support, moved into Lyons as faculty-in-residence.

Lyons first came to Notre Dame as a fifteen-year-old orphan in 1848,[24] entering the shoemaker's shop in the Manual Labor School (nowadays Badin Hall) as an apprentice.

As a reward, the President awarded one free year of tuition at the University, and Lyons entered the seminary to study for the priesthood.

He taught at Notre Dame as professor of English for 26 years and was one of the most beloved figures on campus, was widely popular among students and other faculty, and was heavily involved with many student societies such as the Columbian Literary and Debating Club, the St. Cecilia Philomathean Association, the St. Stanislaus Philopatran Society.

[27] His death on August 22, 1888 was met with an outpouring of grief, condolences, and letter from faculty, students, alumni, and friends of the university from all over the world.

"[31] The Lyons arch, by far the building's most distinctive feature, "frames St. Mary's Lake, providing a delightful vista as well as a picturesque entrance to the hall."

[34] The chapel is built in the basement, and it is a subterranean barrel vaulted environment with a medieval-like sanctum atmosphere, and it reached by a winding staircase.