Campus and Region

The Fairfield University campus consists of 200 acres with 34 major buildings comprising over 1.4 million square feet. Buildings range in age from 1896 to the Alumni House, completed in 2000. The campus was created with the 1940's acquisition of two contiguous estates of the Jennings and Lashar families. Today, the campus is anchored by three manor homes of the original estates: Bellarmine Hall (1921), formerly the Lashar's 'Hearthstone Hall', re-named to honor Saint Robert Bellarmine; McAuliffe Hall (1896), originally O.G. Jennings' 'Mailands', re-named for Bishop Maurice McAuliffe, who sanctioned the creation of Fairfield University; and David J. Dolan House, Lawrence Jenning's 'Larribee', dedicated to honor the uncle of the donor who made the 1989 acquisition of Dolan Campus possible.

Today, the campus offers all the amenities of a major, comprehensive university in a setting of rolling hills, sprawling lawns, picturesque ponds, and bucolic wooded areas- a setting ideal for education. Classroom facilities include Canisius Hall (1956, renv. 1994), Donnarumma Hall (1981), Bannow Science Center (1971), the School of Nursing (1977), and the Pepsico Playhouse (renv, 1994); with University College classrooms at Dolan Campus (renv.,1989), Leadership Center facilities at the Charles F. Dolan School of Business (1979), and School of Engineering laboratories and classrooms at McAuliffe Hall (renv.,1994). Ten co-educational residential complexes house 2,400 students in traditional single and double-occupancy dormitory rooms, suite-style rooms, and 4 and 6 person townhouse apartments. Athletic facilities include Alumni Hall (1956), a 2,300 seat venue; the Leslie C. Quick, Jr. Recreation Complex (1979), with indoor pool, racquetball courts, weight rooms, aerobics/dance studio, indoor track, and a four court tennis/basketball fieldhouse; the Walsh Athletic Center (1995, major addition in 1997) housing locker rooms, equipment rooms, a state-of-the-art Sports Medicine Center, an academic center for athletes and 2 practice basketball courts. Outdoor facilities including: a track; tennis, basketball, and volleyball courts; game stadium; baseball, softball, soccer, lacrosse, and field hockey fields; and other intramural and practice fields. The campus is completed by the Egan Chapel of Saint Ignatius Loyola (1990); the Arrupe Campus Ministry Center (1990), DiMenna-Nyselius Library (1968), housing over 265,000 volumes, and computer, CD-ROM, and Internet resources, and study areas; the Quick Center for the Arts (1989), a 750 seat theater/concert hall, experimental theater, and art gallery; the Barone Campus Center (1966), housing the main dining facilities, snack bar, bookstore, mail room, game room, Oak Room, and student government offices; the 'Levee' (1995), a student-operated entertainment pavilion; and the Alumni House (2000), which accommodates the offices of the alumni relations staff, and provides the alumni association and the university community with meeting and event venues.