A Fresh Start: 12 Arlington Street

The Bell Tolls Again: The bell that was saved from the Mount Benedict Convent and School was placed in its new home at 12 Arlington Street more than 100 years later.

Lilly Higgins ’16

The building at 12 Arlington Street in Boston has a long history and has served many purposes over the years, even up to current times.

12 Arlington Street came into Ursuline Academy history in 1946. Prior to becoming the Ursuline Convent, the building was owned by the Army and Navy Service Committee and, during World War II, housed an officers’ club, dining, lodging, and recreational facilities. The property was home to Ursuline Academy from 1946 to 1959. Then Archbishop Richard J. Cushing played an important role in the early days of the school, inviting the Ursulines to return to Boston more than one hundred years after the tragic burning of the convent on Mount Benedict. Cushing felt that a resurgence of Catholic schools was needed to keep the Catholic faith strong in the face of growing public schools. He was influential in establishing the school’s first graduating class and assisted in the school’s eventual move to Dedham. The students of Ursuline’s Arlington Street location took classes in academic subjects, and were also taught to serve tea, set a table, and conduct themselves in a ladylike manner. The first graduating class consisted of just three students, who attended the school as postgraduate students before attending college. Blanche Foley Chateauneuf and Jeanette Twitchell Maher, members of the inaugural class of 1947, were invited to attend Ursuline Academy by the Archbishop himself. The two were more than happy to attend while they prepared for college, and they grew to love the nuns who taught and treated the girls with such great kindness. During the 1950s, the Boston campus attracted students from surrounding suburban towns, with many commuting by train. The students enjoyed walking through the Public Garden across the

street from their campus, riding the swan boats in early spring, and observing visitors to the RitzCarlton nearby. One former student remembers encountering former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy:

“I attended Ursuline just at the edge of all the events of the 1960s and beyond…I did, by chance, cross paths with Jacqueline Kennedy one morning on my way down Arlington Street. Late again!! Rushing past the Ritz-Carlton, Jacqueline Kennedy was exiting through the revolving door onto Arlington Street. She was elegant and I was awestruck. And, of course, there I was, wearing my Ursuline uniform with knee socks and sneakers.” – Jeanne Cronin ’59

Kindergarten class September 1949 (l. to r.) Julie Fisher, John Good, Francis Carey, Frances Lucey, Margaret Higgins

Sr. Martha Gleason ’54 OSU, described the uniform the students wore in her time there: it included an olive green bolero, a jumper, white blouse, saddle shoes, and stockings. Sr. Angela Krippendorf ’59 OSU, details the change in the uniform implemented during her junior and senior years at Ursuline. In the 1956–1957 school year, the uniform was still the bolero, white blouse, and green jumper, which was considered to be a classic look. The following year, the jumper changed to a skirt with a green blazer and white blouse. The uniform footwear was originally a loafer-like shoe with a medium heel, but it was later changed to a typical loafer. Sr. Angela mentioned that this first shoe was not very stylish and not very comfortable. Sr. Angela eventually came to be the Provincial and lived in the Carriage House at Ursuline Academy in Dedham. She firmly feels that Ursuline would not be what it is today if the campus had not moved to Dedham from Arlington Street. She is pleased to see how the school has changed with the times, but she recognizes that the key thing that has not changed is the feeling of community felt by all at the school. The teachers now, just like the nuns, care so deeply about the students and make the school feel like a second home.

An early spring treat: Ursuline girls ride on the Swan Boats in the Public Garden lagoon.

PRINCIPAL: Mother Agnes Hoy is the first principal of Ursuline Academy, Boston.

1946

In February, Archbishop Cushing takes title to the old Sears mansion on Arlington St. and Commonwealth Ave. for $83,000. The property is to be used by the Ursuline Sisters as a school and convent. Ursuline Academy opens in September with three students who attend UA as post-graduate students before attending college. UNIFORM: Green jumper and white short-sleeved blouse with a green hat.

1947

In June, three students (Blanche Foley Chateauneuf, Jeanette Twitchell Maher, and Jean Ford Jolin) make up the first graduating class of Ursuline Academy. Two years after the end of WWII, the Cold War begins.

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1. Spring 1948. (Ursuline Academy, 12 Arlington St., Boston is visible in the background.) 2. The original Tea Room. (These chairs were last used in the art and history classroom on the hill in Dedham.) 3. The Gavotte. Soloist Maria Callichio is flanked by companions Sally Egan and Anne Nally. 4. Easter Tea and Dance in the Library at 12 Arlington Street. 5. Christmas Play, 1949. Photograph of the cast of 7th and 8th grade students in the Tea Room.

CLASSES: In addition to academics, students were also taught how to serve tea, set a table, and be a “lady.”

1948

April: Ghandi is assassinated months after India achieves its independence from Great Britain.

1949

June: Ursuline announces registration for the opening of a Kindergarten for “boys and girls.” September: Ursuline advertises classes for “Kindergarten and 5th Grade through High School.” MUSIC: Rock and roll emerged in the early 50s.

1950

The Korean War (1950-1953) begins.