HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016 03-23 St. Paul’s Priory MAPLEWOOD REVIEW3/30/2016
St. Paul's Priory I Lillie Suburban Newspapers - LillieNews.com
St. Paul's Priory
Submitted by admin on Wed, 03/23/2016 - 12:00am
This brick building was home to Cl. Flaul"s Priory. (sobrni led photo)
Brenda Rudberg
Maplewood Heritage Preservation Commissioner
Near the corner of Larpenteur Avenue and Highway 120 sits a magnificent concrete, stone and brick building. Built in 1965,
this modernist structure was home to St. Paul's Priory. Designed by prominent Minnesota architect Val Michelson, the
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3/30/2016
St. Paul's Priory I Lillie Suburban Newspapers - LillieNews.com
building at 1725 Monastery Way is one of the most architecturally significant properties in Maplewood.
How did St. Paul's Priory end up in Maplewood? In 1948, the St. Benedictine Convent in St. Joseph, MN was too large with
1,200 Sisters. They created three offshoots to form smaller priories. Archbishop Murray invited one group to St. Paul. In
1949, 178 Sisters moved to 301 Summit Avenue naming their institution St. Paul's Priory. The Summit building was never
intended as a permanent home. They looked for land north of St. Paul due to fewer Catholic schools in that area. In 1953, 80
acres at Larpenteur and Highway 120 were found. Thirteen heirs of the Fernholz family finalized the sale to the Benedictine
Sisters in 1955.
The Sisters intended to build a priory, high school and home for the aged. The priory was first on their list but the
Archdiocese needed a high school. The all -girls Archbishop Murray High School opened in September 1958, merging in
1971 with Hill High School to become Hill -Murray.
In 1959, planning began for the priory building. Michelson was selected to design the priory which was completed in 1965
with three wings and room for expansion. Expansion never happened. By the 1990's the number of Sisters dwindled and a
smaller facility was envisioned. The Sisters wanted the Michelson building reused rather than razed. In 2006, they sold the
Michelson building to Tubman Family Alliance and the adjacent land to CommonBond Communities. In 1997 the name
changed to the St. Paul Monastery, and in February 2009 the Sisters moved to the new building located at 2675 Benet Road.
The 60 Stories Project is a collaboration between Maplewood Area Historical Society and the Maplewood Heritage
Preservation Commission. For more stories, visitwww.maplewoodMN.gov/60stories.
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