Plans discussed for Monroe's former St. Mary Academy

MONROE — Although vacant for 21 years, many architectural gems remain inside the 92-year-old St. Mary Academy building on the campus of the IHM Motherhouse .

The 260,000 square foot former school still has its original, iconic staircase in the lobby, although there are a few chips in the marble. The grand ballroom still has its original wooden doors, wooden floors and intricate ceiling moldings. Several marble pillars and a matching marble fireplace also remain.

On Thursday, City of Monroe and Monroe County officials, along with two Monroe News staff members, toured the former Academy's first floor with developer Keith Masserant of Newport and his sister, Patsy Masserant of Colorado. The siblings talked about what’s in the building now and what is expected to come.

The Masserants are with the family-owned company Mid-American Group of Newport, an international industrial engineering and construction company which was started in 1985 by their father, Lawrence. Patsy is an alumnus of St. Mary Academy. Keith went to 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 the IHM entered into an option to purchase agreement on Elm Avenue's Academy building with Keith's company, KM Cornerstone. The financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Two years of planning are underway and then Keith plans to purchase the building and begin construction work.

Previous Coverage: Former St. Mary Academy to be redeveloped

“We need to map out the entire building and do engineer drawings," Patsy said.

KM Cornerstone is planning commercial, office and residential spaces. The number and types of businesses will be determined.

"80 percent of businesses on the bottom levels will be local. We have local firms doing the work. We are a local family of seven generations. It's a passion project," Patsy said.

She said she's already heard from people who want to live in the building.

Housing is a big need all over Michigan, said Mark Cochran, director of economic development for the City of Monroe.

“The city needs residential housing. This fills the need with three floors of residential for people who want to move to Monroe. It will be a place people want to come to in this area,” Cochran said on Thursday. "There are great established neighborhoods on both sides."

Developing the former Academy will involve removing lead paint and asbestos and repairing water damage to flooring. Water also has damaged the bell tower, and plaster has flaked off and now peppers the wooden floors. Some of the wood on the floors also is loose. But overall, the Academy doesn't look like a nearly century-old structure that's sat vacant for more than two decades.

“The bones are there. There is not much deterioration. We definitely had God on our side with this one," Patsy said during the tour. "There’s so much here, so much potential. We want to make it vibrant."

That includes refurbished the lobby’s marble stairs. Patsy said the chipped ends of the steps will be flipped so that the damage will be inside and won't be visible. The first-flood grand ballroom also will remain and could become a conference room that non-profits could use.

Cochran said in 2003, the Sisters removed fragile items from the building, such as stained glass and a statue of Mary. The plan is to return the artifacts to the renovated space.

Over the last 21 years, other developers had plans for the former Academy, but chose not to pursue them because of the renovation cost and the size of the building, Patsy said. With little interest, the IHM Sisters even got quotes for tearing down the aged structure.

“Demolition was a real possibility. No one wanted it to be torn down.” Patsy said. “Keith met with the IHM and said, ‘I’ll do it.' We’re super excited. We’re 100 percent dedicated to this. It’s a labor of love. It means so much to a lot in Monroe.”

"It's fabulous to have someone see the value and want to bring it back to life. It's fantastic," said Monroe Mayor Robert Clark during the tour. "The vision of the developers will bring a lot to the county."

Both Pasty and Clark have heard only positive comments from area residents since the project was announced.

“There's been a lot of great buzz. It’s a cherished property. It’s a legacy site," Patsy said. "There's no more talk to tear it down. It's a sigh of relief."

Michael Bosanac, Monroe County administrator, also went on Thursday's tour. He said he appreciates the Academy's history and the workmanship that is still evident today.

"The building is an important part of Monroe's history and the county's," he said.

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St. Mary Academy opened in 1846. The current Academy building was constructed in 1932, as the third home 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 today's St. Mary Catholic Central High School. From 1987-2000, the former SMA building was used as a conference and retreat center and for offices. In 2000, during renovation of the Motherhouse, it housed Sisters and was used for congregational offices. The building has been vacant since 2005, when the Sisters returned to the Motherhouse. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2019.

Patsy plans to start a Facebook page for the St. Mary Academy project.

— Contact reporter Suzanne Nolan Wisler at swisler@monroenews.com .

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Plans discussed for Monroe's former St. Mary Academy