Holy Rosary Institute

The Holy Rosary Institute is a historic school building located at 421 Carmel Street in Lafayette, Louisiana, United States. It is one of the few remaining historic Black Catholic high school buildings in the United States.^[2][3]

Holy Rosary Institute
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location	421 Carmel St. Lafayette, Louisiana
Coordinates	30°14′07″N 91°59′52″W
Area	1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built	1913
Built by	Reverend Philip Keller
Architectural style	Greek Revival
NRHP reference No.	80001734[1]
Added to NRHP	December 3, 1980

History

The original Greek Revival building, now surrounded by other modern school buildings, was founded in 1913 by Reverend Philip Keller and the Sisters of the Holy Family.

The institute was initially built in order to provide vocational and technical education for black females. It also served as a Normal School to train teachers for rural black schools. In 1947, it became a co-ed facility. Enrollment began to decline in the 1960s and in 1974, the boarding facilities were closed.^[4]

The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 3, 1980.^[1]

The school was closed in 1993. After a series of plans to restore the building fell through, funding for restoration was acquired and groundbreaking began on the project in late 2020.^[5][6]

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
2. "Holy Rosary Institute" (PDF). State of Louisiana's Division of Historic Preservation. Retrieved July 4, 2018. with three photos and two maps
3. Rev. James A. Pawlicki (July 1980). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination Form: Holy Rosary Institute". National Park Service. Retrieved July 4, 2018. With two photos from 1980.
4. Hernandez, Don (2009). "The History of Holy Rosary Institute". LSU. doi:10.31390/gradschool_dissertations.2742. S2CID 164749095. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
5. Capps, Andrew. "Holy Rosary board breaks ground on building's repair, 40-acre redevelopment plan". The Daily Advertiser. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
6. Westbrook, Leslie (December 29, 2020). "Photos: Groundbreaking for Holy Rosary Institute stabilization and master plan". The Advocate. Retrieved January 4, 2021.