NEWS

Oldenburg Convent Plans to Rehab Historic Mother House

A grant from Indiana Landmarks will help Oldenburg’s Sisters of St. Francis plan sensitive rehab of space to house retired sisters.

Oldenburg St. Francis Motherhouse

Old World Architecture

In 1851, Father Franz Rudolph invited Mother Theresa Hackelmeir from Vienna to Indiana to establish a Franciscan convent in Oldenburg, where he hoped to strengthen the area’s Catholic education and community. The convent and academy exerted a shaping influence on the town’s architectural character. A recent grant from Indiana Landmarks will help the Sisters of St. Francis plan renovations at the convent’s historic Mother House.

Constructed between 1879 and 1901, the Mother House serves as both academic space and living quarters for the sisters. With the $2,000 matching grant from our Efroymson Family Endangered Places the sisters will commission a feasibility study to repurpose two floors of the building as living space for retired sisters. Renovations at the Mother House are expected to cost more than $2 million.

The convent continues to play a major role in the Franklin County community, where the sisters provide education, parish ministry, social services, and healthcare. The convent also operates Michaela Farm, a 300-acre farm they have owned since 1854.

Historic structures are central to the operation of the convent and farm. The Oldenburg National Register Historic District includes several buildings constructed by the sisters between 1851 and 1969.

Our Efroymson Family Endangered Places program offers grants up to $2,500 for nonprofits planning preservation projects. The grants can help pay for professional architectural and engineering studies and restoration cost estimates — often the first step in saving a historic structure — as well as for organizational development. The grants may not be used for brick-and-mortar restoration work. To learn more about Indiana Landmarks’ grants, contact our Eastern Regional Office, 765-478-3172, east@indianalandmarks.org.

Want to Know More?

Read more about Oldenburg and its rich heritage in our blog post: Danke Shoen Oldenburg.

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