MONROE — Although vacant for 21 years, many architectural gems remain inside the 92-year-old St. Mary Academy building on the campus of IHM Mother House.
The 260,000-square-foot former school still retains its iconic original lobby staircase, although there are some chips in the marble. The grand ballroom still retains its original wooden doors, wooden flooring and intricate ceiling moldings. Several marble pillars and a matching marble fireplace also remain.
On Thursday, officials from the city of Monroe and Monroe County, along with two Monroe News staff members, toured the first floor of the former Academy with developer Keith Masserant of Newport and his sister, Patsy Masserant of Colorado. The brothers talked about what’s in the building now and what’s next.
The Masserants are part of the family business Mid-American Group of Newport, an international industrial engineering and construction company founded in 1985 by their father, Lawrence. Patsy is a St. Keith alumna who went to the nearby Hall of the Divine Child and graduated from St. Mary Catholic Central High School.
On June 9, the city of Monroe and the Sisters Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary announced that IHM has entered into an option agreement to purchase the Elm Avenue Academy building with Keith’s company, KM Cornerstone. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Two years of planning are underway and then Keith plans to purchase the building and begin construction.
Previous Coverage: Former St. Mary Academy to be rebuilt
“We need to map the entire building and make engineering drawings,” Patsy said.
KM Cornerstone is planning commercial, office and residential spaces. The number and types of businesses will be determined.
“80 percent of the businesses in the lower tiers will be local. We have local businesses doing the work. We are a seven-generation local family. It’s a passion project,” Patsy said.
She said she has heard from people who want to live in the building.
Housing is a great need throughout Michigan, said Mark Cochran, director of economic development for the city of Monroe.
“The city needs residential housing. This meets the need for three residential floors for those looking to move to Monroe. It will be a place that people want to visit in this area,” Cochran said Thursday. “There are great established neighborhoods on both sides.”
The development of the former Academy will involve removing lead paint and asbestos and repairing water damage to the flooring. The water also damaged the bell tower and the plaster has peeled off and now splashes the wooden floor. Some of the wood on the floor is also loose. But overall, the Academy doesn’t feel like a nearly century-old structure that has sat empty for more than two decades.
“The bones are there. There is not much deterioration. We definitely had God on our side in this film,” Patsy said during the tour. “There is so much here, so much potential. We want to make it vibrant.”
This includes renovating the lobby’s marble stairs. Patsy said the chipped edges of the steps will be turned so the damage is inside and not visible. The grand ballroom from the first flood will also remain and could become a conference room that could be used by nonprofit organizations.
Cochran said that in 2003, the Sisters removed fragile items from the building, such as stained glass windows and a statue of Mary. The plan is to return the artifacts to the renovated space.
Over the past 21 years, other developers had plans for the old Academy but chose not to pursue them due to the cost of renovation and the size of the building, Patsy said. With little interest, the IHM Sisters even received quotes to demolish the old structure.
“Demolition was a real possibility. Nobody wanted it to be demolished.” Patsy said. “Keith met with IHM and said, ‘I’ll do it.’ We are super excited. We are 100% dedicated to this. It’s a labor of love. It means a lot in Monroe.”
“It’s fabulous to have someone see the value and want to bring it back to life. It’s fantastic,” Monroe Mayor Robert Clark said during the tour. “The promoters’ vision will bring a lot to the municipality.”
Both Pasty and Clark have heard nothing but positive feedback from area residents since the project was announced.
“There has been a lot of unrest. It is a treasured property. It’s a legacy site,” Patsy said. “There is no more talk about taking him down. It’s a sigh of relief.”
Monroe County Administrator Michael Bosanac also attended Thursday’s visit. He said he appreciates the Academy’s history and the work that is still evident today.
“The building is an important part of the history of Monroe and the county,” he said.
Subscribe now: For all the latest local developments, breaking news and high school sports content.
Mary Academy opened in 1846. The current Academy building was constructed in 1932 as the third house of the all-girls boarding school, according to Monroe News archives. SMA closed in 1987 when the school merged with the all-boys Catholic Central High School to form the current St. From 1987 to 2000, the former SMA building was used as a conference and retreat center and for offices. In 2000, during the renovation of the Motherhouse, it housed Sisters and was used for congregational offices. The building has been empty since 2005, when the Sisters returned to the Motherhouse. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2019.
Patsy started a Facebook page, Friends of Santa Maria Academyfor the project.
– Contact reporter Suzanne Nolan Wisler at swisler@monroenews.com.
This article originally appeared in The Monroe News: KM Cornerstone discussed plans for Monroe’s former St. Mary Academy
