Gruenwald Convent - Wikipedia


Gruenwald Convent
U.S. National Register of Historic Places

Front and side of the convent
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Nearest city	Cassella, Ohio
Coordinates	40°24′1″N 84°33′3″W / 40.40028°N 84.55083°W / 40.40028; -84.55083
Area	0 acres (0 ha)
Built	1854
MPS	Cross-Tipped Churches of Ohio TR
NRHP reference No.	79002813^[1]
Added to NRHP	July 26, 1979

The Gruenwald Convent is a historic former Roman Catholic convent in the far western part of the U.S. state of Ohio. Located approximately 0.5 miles (0.80 km) south of the small community of Cassella in Mercer County, the convent was built in 1854.^[1] It is one of six convents that were built by the Missionaries of the Precious Blood in this portion of Ohio and in adjacent portions of far eastern Indiana, and one of only two that remain without significant alterations.^[2]^: 2

History[edit]

Under the leadership of Francis de Sales Brunner, the Missionaries constructed six convents in southern Mercer County and surrounding areas between 1846 and 1856. Patterned after the monasteries that had housed the order's members in Europe, these convents were some of the most prominent buildings in the region — surrounded by small frame houses, these brick structures resembled fortresses. Five other convents were built: one affiliated with St. Augustine's Church in Minster, one affiliated with St. Joseph's Church in Egypt, the Himmelgarten convent near St. Henry, the Maria Stein Convent, and one affiliated with Holy Trinity Church in Trinity, Indiana. By the late 1970s, only the Gruenwald and Trinity convents remained in a condition resembling their original state:^[2]^: 2 Himmelgarten was sold more than one hundred years ago,^[3] and has since been destroyed; the Minster convent likewise is no longer in existence; and the Egypt and Maria Stein convents had been significantly modified.^[2]^: 2

Architecture[edit]

The Gruenwald Convent is a two-and-a-half story structure. Built on a stone foundation, its walls are brick, and it is covered by an asphalt roof.^[4] It is significantly smaller than some of the other convents of the region; for example, the Maria Stein Convent is a complex of seventeen buildings, some of which are much larger than the Gruenwald Convent.^[5] After the Gruenwald Convent ceased to be used for its original purpose, it was converted into a typical residence; consequently, it is also known as the "McDowell House".^[4]

Historic status[edit]

In 1979, the Gruenwald Convent was one of more than thirty buildings added to the National Register of Historic Places as a part of a multiple property submission known as the "Cross-Tipped Churches of Ohio Thematic Resources." This collection included historically significant buildings in the vicinity of Maria Stein that were related to the Missionaries of the Precious Blood. The many massive Gothic Revival churches in this collection have become the namesake for the region, which is commonly known as the "Land of the Cross-Tipped Churches."^[2]^: 6 The convent was listed on the Register both because of its contribution to the region's history and because of its connection to Francis de Sales Brunner.^[4]

References[edit]

^ ^a ^b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Brown, Mary Ann and Mary Niekamp. National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Cross-Tipped Churches Thematic Resources. National Park Service, July 1978. Accessed 2010-05-31.
^ Scranton, S.S. History of Mercer County, Ohio and Representative Citizens. Chicago: Biographical, 1907, 224.
^ ^a ^b ^c Gruenwald Convent, Ohio Historical Society, 2007. Accessed 2010-05-31.
^ Brown, Mary Ann. Ohio Historic Inventory Nomination: Maria Stein Convent and Shrine of the Holy Relics. Ohio Historical Society, March 1978.

v t e National Register of Historic Places in Mercer County, Ohio
Historic district	Celina Main Street Commercial Historic District
Other properties	Cassella Catholic Church and Rectory Chickasaw School and Rectory Coldwater Catholic Church Complex Fort Recovery Site Matthias Gast House and General Store Sen. Thomas J. Godfrey House Grand Lake St. Marys Lighthouse Gruenwald Convent Immaculate Conception Catholic Church Complex Maria Stein Catholic Church and Rectory Maria Stein Convent Mendon Town Hall Otis Hospital Philothea Catholic Church and Priest House Calvin E. Riley House St. Aloysius Catholic Church St. Anthony Catholic Church, Padua St. Bernard Catholic Church and Rectory St. Charles Seminary and Chapel St. Francis Catholic Church and Rectory St. Henry Catholic Church St. Joseph Catholic Church and Rectory St. Paul's Catholic Church and Rectory St. Peter Catholic Church and Rectory St. Rose Catholic Church Complex St. Sebastian Catholic Church and Rectory St. Wendelin Catholic Church, School, and Rectory Wallischeck Homestead
See also: National Register of Historic Places listings in Mercer County, Ohio and List of National Historic Landmarks in Ohio

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v t e Churches in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati
Cathedral	Cathedral Basilica of Saint Peter in Chains
Parishes	Cincinnati Church of the Annunciation Immaculata Church Old St. Mary's Church St. Aloysius on the Ohio St. Francis De Sales Church Saint Francis Seraph Church St. Francis Xavier Church St. Lawrence Church St. Pius X Church St. Rose Church Dayton Holy Cross Church Sacred Heart Church St. Adalbert Church St. Mary's Church Springfield St. Joseph's Church St. Raphael's Church Other Immaculate Conception Church, Botkins St. Aloysius Church, Carthagena Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church, Cassella Immaculate Conception Church, Celina Precious Blood Church, Chickasaw Our Lady of Victory Church, Delhi Township St. Joseph's Church, Egypt Holy Family Church, Frenchtown St. John's Church, Fryburg St. Patrick's Church, Glynwood St. John the Baptist Church, Maria Stein Sacred Heart Church, McCartyville St. Michael's Church, Mechanicsburg St. Augustine's Church, Minster St. Louis Church, North Star St. Nicholas Church, Osgood St. Anthony's Church, Padua St. Remy's Church, Russia St. Henry's Church, St. Henry Holy Rosary Church, St. Marys St. Rose's Church, St. Rose St. Sebastian's Church, Sebastian St. Joseph's Church, Wapakoneta
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