Hall of the Divine Child

41°55′18″N 83°24′19″W / 41.92167°N 83.40528°W / 41.92167; -83.40528 (Hall of the Divine Child (Norman Towers))InformationDenominationRoman CatholicFounded1918Closed1980OwnershipSisters, Servants of the IHM Built1918ArchitectHenry J. RillsNRHP reference No.100000885^[1]Added to NRHPApril 17, 2017

The Hall of the Divine Child was a boarding school in Monroe, Michigan serving kindergarten through eighth grades. It was built in 1918 and closed in 1980; the building turned into the "Norman Towers". It was entered onto the National Register of Historic Places in 2017.^[1]

History

In 1915, Bishop John Samuel Foley asked the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary to construct a boys boarding school. Construction began that year, but World War I delayed the opening until 1918. The school opened in January of that year with 26 pupils. Attendees were primarily boarding students, but some day students attended.^[2]

Originally the school also housed grade 1-6 girls attending St Mary's Academy (now St. Mary Catholic Central High School). In 1932, the girls were moved to a new facility, and Hall of the Divine Child began offering high school classes.^[2] In 1936, the school became a military academy, and a regulation drill uniform was adopted in 1938. In 1941, with a waiting list to enter, the high school curriculum was dropped and the school returned to K-8 classes. Enrollment peaked in the mid-1950s at about 350 students. However, in the following years, enrollment declined and operational costs increased. The school closed in 1980.^[3]

In the early 1980s, the sisters sold the building to a limited partnership, which converted it to an apartment complex for older adults known as "Norman Towers."^[3] However, the sisters repossessed the building in the late 1990s, and resold it in 2005. As of 2017, a developer plans to renovate the structure.^[4]

Description

The Hall of the Divine Child is a four-and-a-half-story, red brick, institutional building with limestone trim. The facade is dominated by a central castellated tower, which has battlements and turrets.^[5]

References