Matthew J. Walsh decided to build Saint Edward's Hall  in 1882 to house the boarding school for the minims program, ages six to thirteen, which was growing and reached a population of a 100 in 1883. The hall was designed by Charles Harding, C.S.C, in Notre Dame yellow brick in French style, with a Mansard roof and named after Edward Sorin's patron saint.
In 1882, Matthew J. Walsh initiated the construction of Saint Edward's Hall to serve as a boarding school for the minims program, which was increasing in size and had grown to include one hundred students by 1883. The hall, designed by Charles Harding, C.S.C., in Notre Dame yellow brick with a French style and Mansard roof, was named after Saint Edward Sorin's patron saint.