Developer chosen for historic Sisters of the Most Precious Blood campus

Wednesday, Nov. 29 2006

The Sisters of the Most Precious Blood of O'Fallon, a 161-year-old Roman Catholic order of nuns, has chosen McEagle Properties over seven other contenders to develop a master plan for its historic 42-acre campus just north of City Hall.

Under the plan, the 103 nuns currently residing in the convent — most of whom served in missions around the world — will remain housed on the property in new independent, assisted and skilled care retirement facilities, said the order's Sister Fran Raia.  The development, which will take about five years to build, also will likely include condominiums, single-family homes and main street-style retail and office space. It will adhere to McEagle's signature, "Live, Work, Play," and, in this case "pray" philosophy, McEagle President Chris McKee said.  Whether the order will retain ownership of all or a portion of the property has not yet been determined, McKee said.  Raia said the order, which settled in O'Fallon in 1875, chose McEagle because of its past projects and its respectful conversations about the order's aging members and its ongoing mission to serve the poor and the needy.  "I think they have an understanding of the culture we have here, and that's what we need," Raia said. 

Among issues that will need to be resolved during the master plan phase next year is the fate of the order's stunning chapel, which is graced with detailed Salvation History stained glass windows designed by Sister Hiltrudis Powers in 1963. The convent's 226,000-square-foot motherhouse also contains thousands of priceless tapestries, mosaics and vestments, handcrafted by generations of sisters in the order's world-renowned Ecclesiastical Arts department.

McEagle's founder, Paul McKee, has deep Catholic roots and has been instrumental in establishing Barat Academy, a Catholic high school in Dardenne Prairie.  The McKee family also has personal connections with the order. Paul McKee's wife, Midge, was named for her aunt, Sister Marguerite Ann Niehoff — a member of the order who lived in the motherhouse until her death in the early 1990s. Other family members attended school at the convent, and Chris McKee said his favorite elementary school teacher was also a nun in the order.  "The first thing we have to do is create a senior care facility that takes care of the older nuns as they age," Chris McKee said. "We are working on behalf of the order."  It's a sentiment echoed by Mayor Donna Morrow, who said the order deserves a development that is respectful not only of the architectural heritage of the property, but also of the order's mission to serve the less fortunate long after the last sister has died.  "They have a legacy of 150 years in O'Fallon, and I want that legacy to remain for another 150 years," Morrow said. 

Sisters of the Most Precious Blood sits on the east side of North Main Street and contains 27 acres of vacant land, a cemetery, gardens and 12 brick buildings, many dating to the turn of the 20th century. Over the years, it also housed St. Mary's Academy, a private Catholic girls high school, and St. Mary's Junior College for women. It also was the original home of the fledgling St. Charles Community College. From its peak membership of 600 in the 1950s, the aging order has diminished to just more than 200, forcing administrators to close off underutilized buildings. The median age in the convent is now 75, with several near 100. Much of the order's work now takes place off-site. The current membership decided to opt for redevelopment earlier this year after considering the needs of its aging population.

D2's Role:

D2 worked with the developer to estimate revenue potential from the Project and the formation of a community improvement district (“CID”) to help offset infrastructure improvement costs related to the project.   D2 also serves as administrator for the District.