You are looking for information and photos of the former st domenico Italian orphans home in st Louis mo?

Answer 1

SDIOH Updated 10 18 2009 by pgenna2@juno.com

Saint Domenico Italian Orphans Home 1925-1962 (SDIOH)

Theodore Salorgne House, 1340 Partridge Ave., University City, c. 1893

This modest three-story mansion with a small third floor that can be regarded as an "attic" was built in 1891 and 1892 by Theodore Salorgne, Jr.

The house is built of quarried-stone and has or had a distinctive red Spanish-style clay-tiled roof.

Built centrally on ten acres, the property also contained a barn, a root cellar, a chicken coop, a vineyard, flower gardens (Snapdragons) and several fruit-bearing trees; among them, persimmon trees as well as other large trees.

The property was sold to the Sisters of Saint Mary in 1909.

The building became a residence for retired and convalescing nuns.

At that time, the St. Mary nuns debated whether a new hospital and convent would be built at the property. It was not.

In 1926, working with the Women's Retreat League, the house was converted into a retreat center. The building was sold once again after the St. Mary order had built a new hospital and convent on Clayton Road.

The property was sold to the St. Domenico Italian Orphans Home. (1931-1962)

The Saint Domenico organization had been founded in 1921 through a bequest of Domenico and Maria Signaigo.

Father Cesare Spigardi from St. Charles Borromeo Church, determined at the time that the bequest was not enough until 1925 when Mrs. Rosa Cafferata left in her will a bequest for the future St. Domenico to Archbishop Glennon.

Mr. Cesare Chichizola, a Board member and his daughter (and graduate of St. Elizabeth's Academy was a Precious Blood sister - Sister Mary Rose, C.pp.S) was placed at the new Orphanage.

Due to the Orphanage being under the care of Sisters of the Most Precious Blood, whose mother house is in O'Fallon Missouri, she was assigned there. (The sisters were mostly from rural Missouri farming families of German ancestry.)

The St. Louis Italian community was unsuccessful in getting an Italian order of nuns to care for the mostly Italian-American children at that time.

By the late 1950s and 60s, the ancestry of the children were mixed.

The Orphanage started with ten children in 1931 when the mansion was the only building.

In those days, both the Sisters and the children lived in the original mansion.

A first and former resident in 2008 said that it was quite hot during the stifling Summer when she and the other children lived on the third floor (or attic). She went on to say that Sisters were quite strict with the children.

The Sister's bedrooms were on the second floor. The first floor consisted of two large parlors, a dining room, a small breakfast room, a staircase, a large foyer with a fireplace, a staircase with a magnificent stained glass window on the landing leading to the second floor, an utility room (Pantry) and kitchen. The basement of the mansion was basically laundry and storage.

Access to the mansion is from Partridge Avenue through a stone arched gateway with double gates leading to a circular drive-way that circled around the buildings. The same drive led to a rear exit near the barn leading to Pennsylvania Ave. The two major roads were Page Ave on the north and Olive Street Road on the south.

The stone gateway indicated painted lettering on its arched section: "San Domenico Italian Orphanage" or when the times changed; "St. Domenico Italian Children's Home.

A stone statue of St. Dominic, founder of the Domincan Order of friars was installed in front of the mansion was a gift from Domenica Casaleggi, a California resident. The statute was the most pronounced feature standing in front of the Home.

Saint Domenico attracted the support of many prominent families in the St. Louis Italian American community, and when it was able to build a 2-story chapel wing (that was added on to the rear of the mansion) in 1938, many of them contributed art-glass windows. The three Italian parishes in St. Louis were St. Charles Borromeo, Our Lady Help of Christians and St. Ambrose. Only Saint Ambrose Parish remains while the other two have been demolished.

The first floor of the new building consisted of two dining rooms and the school room with the chapel on the entire second floor. The basement was used as an indoor play area and other events.

In 1947, another building was built and that wing was connected by a mid-air walkway to the mansion on its north side. This 2-story stone building would be the new dormitory respectively for the boys on the first floor and the girls on the second floor. Each floor had a private bedroom for one Sister.

The rather large basement was a playroom, laundry and other storage closets.

The immediate neighborhood community consisted of middle class Jewish families, thus the Sisters and the children were the only Gentiles. It was not unusual to observe a Sister conversing with their Jewish neighbors.

Another former resident living in Dallas, TX: "I would like to locate others who were living at St. Domenico. I have a lot of good memories from those days in 1954 to 1958. Recently was in touch with one fellow from there. Is there an alumni group from this home? I would love to attend a reunion. I remember fondly the nuns: Sr. Elizabeth Marie, Sr. Mary Rose, Sr. Robert Thomas, Sr. Gregory, and many others. Remember making fudge and caramel with Sr. Elizabeth Marie. We would each get one small piece in wax paper to eat while we watched Shirley Temple movies. I loved that big old house and the grounds it sat on. It is still there. Enjoyed climbing the trees and playing in the sandbox all day long in the summer. (After we did our chores, of course.) Please contact me if you lived at St.. Domenico's Italian Home in St. Louis MO.

By the 1970s and the 1980s, the 2-storey barn, the chicken coop and other stand-alone structures (Gazebos) would be torn-down due to age. (One of the more prominent gazebo housing the Holy Family was a favorite for the kids who would hide and seek.)

The root cellar was filled-in. The grape vin-yard was removed along with the original stone-arched gateway and gates. Some of the large Oak and Locust trees are gone. The statute of St. Dominic has long gone. The clay-tiled roof was replaced by either slate or shingle.

By this time, there is nothing left to indicate that this was ever St. Domenico except the original Theodore Salorgne mansion.

By 1961-1962, the Italian Orphans Home would close. Sisters Mary Rose, Elizabeth Marie, Timothy, Isabel and Gregory et al received the news of the closing of this rather unique institution. (Pictured above is Sister Julitta Maurer, one of the former teachers wearing the new habit adopted by Congregation of the Most Precious Blood sometime in 1961-1962.)

The need for full-service orphanages decreased, and in 1962 the property became Mercita Hall, a Group Home for teenage girls who were not being served by foster homes.

Mercita Hall was operated by the Sisters of Mercy and gradually was replaced by Marian Hall, another agency serving severely-disturbed and behaviorally-disordered youth.

By this time, there were very few nuns left and most staff were lay-women with specialized training.

In 1988 the property was transferred to the Archbishop of the St. Louis Archdiocese.

It appeared that at one time, the property would be re-developed for housing.

The original ten acres was laid out by as St. Domenico Court but it never happened.

It was later subdivided by Mary Stock as Penn Park and Roberts Court after 1970 with the remainder of the property to be known as Good Shepherd Services for Children and Youth sometime in 2008 after its final consolidation of four pre-existing Catholic Service Agencies into one.

As of Spring, 2008, new Construction of an additional building to the rear of the former chapel /school room / dining room building (1938) is due to be completed in 2009. This expansion indicate that the property has become a small complex or campus consisting of 4 buildings providing numerous services for children and youth.

The new building standing on the former vineyard and drive will attach itself to the chapel-wing building. The original mansion building, c1893; the chapel / school room / dining room building, 1938, and the dormitory building, 1947 will join the new building.

All of the original founders and Nuns have died and most of the former children are now elderly. The memories are fading.

Attention! Photos from alumni are welcome.

Please, we need pictures of the Home, Sisters and any child that lived at Saint Domenico.

Please contact :Patrick Genna @ pgenna2@juno.com

Thank you.Current Alumni of SDIOH:

As of 8/2007:

Helen Catalin (1934-?)

Joseph P. Genna (1947-1953)

Louise and Bruce Butler (1953-?)

Billy Meyer (1953-?)

As of 10/17/2009:

(1941-1947) Lee Fitzmaurice (Oaty Lee Willer),Roberta and Elvira Canzanella,

Vito Palazzolo, Joann Berra, Louis Errante, Mary, Josephine, Mike and Manuel Russo. Peter Spiguzza, Anthony Naccarato (died Jan. 2010), Mary Ann Daleo, Mathilda Durso,

Peter Frisella, Evelyn and Freddie Accinelli. Mary Tummania. and Mary, Freddie, Phillip, Ellen, Lawrence (Died 2009) Carrino,

The Current Occupant of the mansion-property is:

Good Shepherd Services for Children and Youth