Dorm History
Breen-Phillips Hall, established in 1939 and female since 1973 is named for brothers-in-law William P. Breen, class of 1877, and Frank B. Phillips, class of 1880. The two benefactors were both from Fort Wayne, Indiana. Breen was a charter member and first president of the Notre Dame Board of Lay Trustees, established in 1920 by then-President James A. Burns, CSC. For many years the University awarded the Breen Medal for student achievement in oratory.
Along with Cavanaugh, Alumni, Dillon, and Zahm, BP housed naval officers in training during WWII. BP also housed the entire athletic department in its basement, including the office of Coach Frank Leahy. In 1984, Pope John Paul II imparted an Apostolic Blessing on BP.
Famous alums include retired astronaut James Wetherbee (1974), a veteran of six space flights and currently technical assistant to the director of the Safety and Mission Assurance Directorate at the Johnson Space Center. .
BP residents were originally known as the banshees. The hall's Babes intramural teams nickname originates from the 1998 movie Babe Pig in the City. As men gave up the hall to women some left mementos behind. Several female students in the '70s reported former male residents showing up in their rooms on football weekends to retrieve a "time capsule" they had secreted behind the mirror above the room's sink.
The morning of the first home football game, B-P residents march to the North Dining Hall in pajamas and bathrobes for their traditional Bathrobe Breakfast. Breen-Phillips's signature event is the Meal Auction. Meals with campus celebrities are auctioned off to raise money for the Meals on Wheels Association. This past year, the meal auction raised over $4,000. BP's signature week is known as Beach Week. This takes place each spring when the women of B-P host a Beach Party filled with beach-themed activities and contests.
Much of this information can be found in the Notre Dame Magazine Summer 2004 issue.