About

Fitzmaurice Hall

List of 4 items.

  • 28,000

    Square Feet Being Added

  • 10

    New Classrooms

  • 2020-21

    Academic Year It Will Open

  • 2024

    First Class to Spend Four Years in Both Buildings

Inspired by Faith, Emboldened by a Vision

In 2016, the Congregation of St. Joseph made the plans to build a new home for the Sisters and generously gave the Motherhouse to Saint Joseph Academy. Rechristened Fitzmaurice Hall, the building is a living testament to the ways the history of the Sisters and our Academy are intertwined. Thanks to the generosity of the Congregation, this historic building will be an integral part of our students’ academic experience once again.

List of 4 items.

  • Mother Theresa Fitzmaurice, CSJ

    The building is named Fitzmaurice Hall, in recognition of Mother Theresa Fitzmaurice, CSJ. Elected mother superior three different times during her lifetime, she was a visionary leader who purchased the property that is the campus shares with the Congregation and the Academy since 1898. Mother Theresa had a dream about building a school for the education of young women in Cleveland, understanding the importance of educating girls for a future not yet imagined. She then set out to fulfill that dream. Today, we are the beneficiaries of her bold vision, graced with beautiful buildings and property overlooking the Rocky River valley.

  • General Plans

    Students will have classes in the building where the Sisters lived, worked and prayed for more than 100 years. It will be a living testament to the ways the history of the Sisters and the Academy are intertwined. The adaptive re-use of this historic building has begun, and the construction will be completed in time for the 2020-2021 school year. The renovation will preserve the building’s rich history and distinctive architecture while updating it to support 21st century learning dynamics. Renovation of the lower two floors will result in 10 large classrooms as well as various staff and administrative offices. The top two floors of the building will be reserved for the future, as the landscape for Catholic education continues to evolve.

  • CORE Ministry/Theology

    On the ground floor, the CORE Ministry/Theology Program will have a new home where teachers will guide our students’ spiritual growth. In addition to five large classrooms, two quiet areas for prayer and quiet reflection will be included.

  • Humanities/Social Studies

    On the first floor, there will be five large classrooms for our Humanities Programs, infusing our students’ learning about the world with the values that will help them make a difference in it. Additional common areas where students gather to collaborate or spend time together between classes will be created.

Frequently Asked Questions

List of 9 frequently asked questions.

  • When will the new space be open?

    Fitzmaurice Hall will be open beginning of next school year (2020-2021). The Class of 2024 (incoming Freshmen) will be the first class to have four years in both buildings

  • What is in the new space?

    Overall, there will be 10 new classrooms added in the new space. On the ground floor, the CORE Ministry/Theology Program will have a new home with five large classrooms, and on the first floor, there will be five large classrooms for our Humanities Programs. In addition to the new classrooms, there will be two quiet areas for prayer and quiet reflection, a common area for students, open study rooms, and new office space for faculty and staff.

  • What classes will be over there?

    The ground floor will be the new home to our CORE Ministry/Theology department, and the first floor will be the Social Studies/Humanities Department.

  • Is the new building providing more space for students?

    Fitzmaurice Hall will provide the modular space teachers and students need. A total of 28,000 square feet is being renovated! 

  • Is all of Fitzmaurice Hall being renovated?

    At this time, we are only renovating the ground and first floors. The top two floors of the building will be reserved for the future, as the landscape for Catholic education continues to evolve.

  • What was that space used for before the renovations?

    Fitzmaurice Hall is the former convent where the Sisters once lived and served as the original school where classes were held until Saint Joseph Academy was built.

  • Will more time be added to the schedule between classes?

    Yes, we are working on a new schedule that will accommodate students’ needs to walk between the two buildings.

  • Are the Sisters still living there?

    No. The Sisters built an assisted living facility next to Fitzmaurice Hall that they now call home.

  • What will happen to the classrooms in the current building?

    We have plans to repurpose the old classrooms and will be turning one wing on the third floor into a Makerspace innovation lab that will be five times larger than our current lab.