Threshold Spring/Summer 2010

"Elegance Revisited" - Atchison Globe, 2010
by Mary Agnes Patterson, OSB

Sister Anne blesses the new meditation garden, which includes the cross that was previously
atop the Administration Building, at an open house and blessing ceremony on June 6.


Sister Maria Heppler, her mother Annabelle Heppler, sister Mary Barnes,
and brother Paul Heppler, are greeted in the new entry by Sister Anne and
subprioress, Sister Mary Elizabeth Schweiger.


Sister Jo Ann Fellin shows Rita Hunter, member of the Development Board, some of
the antique furnishings in the office.


Perhaps Sister Sharon Murray (right) is trying to persuade Sister Mary Irene Nowell
and Father Meinrad Miller to give a recital in this sitting area that is part of the
new access ramp addition.


The renovation of St. Cecilia’s culminated with a series of open house events for neighbors, families, friends and benefactors. The new porch provides an ideal spot for refreshments and further conversation.

Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. I know this is a saying for weddings, but it also fits the renovation of our original home on this property, St. Cecilia’s.

Price Villa, now called St. Cecilia’s, was built in 1872 for John Price and his family. In 1877, the Price family had financial problems causing him to sell the property. Mother Evangelista Kremmeter and the sisters purchased the Price Villa and several acres of surrounding property for $20,000. The community moved from the crowded home and school located on Second and Division Streets to their new home with its 38 rooms, 15 halls, 10 stairwells, a laundry, two bath rooms with hot and cold water, five porches and 99 windows.

The restoration of St. Cecilia’s has been a two-year project. First, take something OLD, this wonderful building, and bring it back to its original beauty and you have a treasure from the past that is ready for the future and new uses. Items saved and restored from St. Cecilia’s include the tin ceilings, brass hardware on the doors and windows, tile on floors, parquet floors and window moldings. All the original walls on first and second floors have been repaired and repainted. All 99 windows have been restored by scraping and painting the frames and replacing cracked panes.

Add something NEW, such as the additions to St. Cecilia’s which provide accessibility from outside and an elevator so that the upper floors can now be more fully used. A ramp has been added to the back, connecting St. Cecilia’s to the St. Scholastica Chapel. New plumbing, electrical system, heating and cooling, fire safety features and ramps also have been added to bring the building up to code and suitable to various uses now and in years to come.

Then BORROW something from St. Benedict’s Abbey, in this case seven light fixtures from their attic. Many items used in St. Cecilia’s are recycled from our Administration Building and Kremmeter Hall, both of which were razed in recent years. Ninety percent of the light fixtures in St. Cecilia’s are recycled from these buildings. Marble from both buildings is used throughout St. Cecilia’s. All the exit lights and the electrical breaker panels and breakers are from the Administration Building as well.

Finally, add something BLUE, the Mount’s color. Some of the original tile on the bathroom walls had a blue stripe, and that tile was restored. A new feature in the floor of the addition is a beautiful design inlaid in the tile entryway. The color blue is incorporated in the design.

The renovation includes some other interesting “finds.” Three wall sconces, originally gas lights, now by the elevator on all three floors, were discovered in the basement of St. Cecilia’s. Gas wall torches were converted into light fixtures and are in the first floor kitchenette. Some of the parquet floors were covered by carpet and their beauty was a great surprise. Some other light fixtures were also discovered and restored.

Sister Elaine Fischer, director of maintenance, made the wood baseboards, door trims, and cabinets in the bathrooms and kitchenette. She did the tile work and much of the painting. She enjoyed working with the contractors and builders from Atchison: Kearney Construction, Tate Plumbing and Pickman Electric. “They take great pride in their work and care about our community.”

“We made a wonderful building better,” says Sister Elaine. “We brought it back and showcased some of its fine details that had been hidden or lost. Even though this took a lot of time, we have taken care to do it well. I have enjoyed working with a building that has such craftsmanship in it. I am happy to have reused and recycled so much material from other buildings on the campus.”

Sister Rosann Eckart assisted Sister Elaine in the restoration work in St. Cecilia. She was involved throughout the process, from the moving of all the items and furniture out of the building to the final cleaning of the newly renovated building. She has scraped, cleaned, sanded, puttied, painted and cleaned up after each step of the process. She comments, “The building has so much history I wish I knew it all and that the walls could talk. It was a surprise finding two chimneys in the second floor sitting room. It is good to see all the hard work coming to an end and to be looking at the finished product.”

Other sisters were also involved in many ways. Sisters Jo Ann Fellin, Rose Marie Stallbaumer and Sharon Murray did much of the interior decorating and gathering of the furniture and art for the first two floors. Sister Micaela Randolph coordinated the decorating of the third floor for Sophia guests. Sister Paula Howard created an icon of St. Cecilia, and other sisters too numerous to mention contributed items and did many hours of cleaning and preparation.

The first floor of St. Cecilia’s will serve many purposes. Sister Mary Blaise Cillessen, director of the music conservatory, will coordinate the music lessons and recitals for the students, continuing the lifetime tradition of music in St. Cecilia’s. The gallery serves a dual purpose of exhibiting our sisters’ art and as a studio for music lessons and small recitals. There are offices for the music instructors and other sisters. A heritage room displays some artifacts of our history.

The second floor of St. Cecilia’s will be used for housing for the sisters’ guests. This was our guest house in former years and will be a great addition to our accommodations for our families and guests, adding seven double occupancy rooms. The third floor of St. Cecilia’s will be used by Sophia Center for housing their retreatants and other groups making retreats and/or workshops. This will increase their housing by seven more double rooms and give Sophia Center the extra overnight accommodations needed to respond to their growing ministry.
The grounds around St. Cecilia’s and the footprint of the Administration Building will be landscaped to include many trees, bushes, and shrubs. Two areas for prayer will be created. The prayer garden will incorporate the large cross from the top of the Administration Building as its focal point. The other area will be a grotto with the statue of Our Lady which was formerly on the lawn between the Administration Building and Kremmeter Hall. Benches and flowers, bushes and trees will create a natural setting for quiet and peace.

The sisters are very happy to have St. Cecilia’s restored and in use again. It is truly a treasure from our history and one worth preserving for our future. We hope that our guests and retreatants will find beauty, peace and joy while visiting here.

A cozy guest bedroom, in the room where their daughters took music lessons,
is the gift of Cindy and Rich Dickason.


As writers, Judy Valente and Charles Reynard are glad to find an inviting
writing desk in the room they sponsored.


Donna and Lee Forge are pleased to see the studio renovation they funded
in memory of their son Joe, including a small memorial on the mantel.

Electrician Pat Pickman is one of many who brought their families to see their work.

Our Deepest Gratitude
to all the contractors and their workers
who helped create this beautiful place:
Ambrozi Roofing
Betts Concrete
Design Mechanical
EC Interiors
Kearney Construction
Kenney Floor Tile
Moffet Nursery
Pickman Electric
Tate Plumbing
G.A. Thompson
Wagner Excavation

with special thanks to
Treanor Arcthitects
for their knowledge and understanding
of both historical preservation and our monastic community.