THE CAMPUS MASTER PLAN FOR 10801 CONWAY ROAD | 100 YEARS IS ONLY THE BEGINNING | iLLa DuchesnE
LEADERS OF THE CAMPUS MASTER PLAN
From the addition of the Chapel in 1957, the Pods in 1970, and the Schaefer Family Student Life Center in 2023, the campus that we know and love has evolved to meet the needs of students. I am honored to be part of the next chapter of this magnificent campus and delighted to share our plans with you in the pages ahead. Dear iLLa Community,
Left to Right: Dr. Dominic A. Key, Director of Operations, Mrs. Alice Dickherber, Assistant Head of School for Strategic Initiatives, Dr. Dawn Nichols, Head of School, and Mr. Omar Qureshi, Chair of the Board of Trustees
Dear iLLa Duchesne Community,
In these pages, you will see a bold vision that integrates every dimension of the student experience.
We set out to create a Campus Master Plan for Villa Duchesne that honors our history and reflects the transformational educational experience we are called to provide our students as we enter our next century.
We are the beneficiaries of visionary RSCJ, who, with the highest architectural standards, procured our beautiful land and constructed our iconic building in the 1920s.
In keeping with best practices and always with an eye on the horizon, the Board of Trustees assembled a Campus Master Plan Task Force in 2024 to envision exceptional educational spaces, designed to be rich, intellectually challenging learning environments that align with research and support community and student engagement, all while maintaining Villa’s architectural beauty. The Task Force spent more than twelve months interviewing students, faculty, staff, parents, and alumni, researching top
independent schools, reviewing strategic priorities, and assessing the strengths and weaknesses of our campus. Thank you to everyone who participated in this vital feedback process.
We are excited beyond measure to share our final Campus Master Plan, executed with fidelity to our history and mission, expressed on these pages.
Our students deserve extraordinary spaces to support their learning. With this plan, Villa’s distinctive campus won’t just meet the future—it will define it, setting the gold standard for Catholic, Sacred Heart education nationwide.
Sincerely yours,
Dr. Dawn Nichols, Head of School Omar Qureshi, Board Chair
Our Campus Master Plan pays homage to the original ingenuity and attention to aesthetics that Reverend Mother Lily Garesche, RSCJ, and Villa’s first Headmistress, Mother Mathilde Mouton, RSCJ, envisioned with the architectural firm O’Meara and Hills when designing a French château amidst a grove of oak trees. This plan also pays particular attention to the needs of today’s students and our
aspirations for the years ahead. Our history and our future were the cornerstones of our planning process; juxtaposing tradition and legacy with innovation and anticipated programming in mind.
I am grateful to the many of you who helped to craft this vision, informing decisions and priorities for the buildings and grounds. The participation
from our community was vital to ensuring that ours was a collective wisdom and a shared vision for Villa.
Sincerely, I remain,
Dr. Dominic A. Key, Director of Operations, Chair of the Campus Master Plan Task Force
a Campus REIMAGINED Anticipating OUR NEEDS
Building upon a foundation of faith and tradition, this transformative Campus Master Plan reimagines 124,860 square feet of existing space and adds 19,500 square feet of thoughtfully designed new space, preparing our Sacred Heart community to enter our next century with excellence.
The Religious of the Sacred Heart who first envisioned Villa Duchesne understood that revolutionary education requires revolutionary spaces. They transformed raw possibility into sacred ground where minds and hearts have flourished, just as we now transform our historic campus to anticipate the needs of tomorrow’s students. Their relentless pursuit of St. Madeleine Sophie Barat’s vision, against all odds, ignites our own commitment to building a campus that doesn’t just adapt to the modern era, it defines what Sacred Heart education can become.
iLLa DuchesnE: A CENTURY OF INTENTIONAL DESIGN
Duchesne Building opens
Danis Science Wing and Holthaus Track are completed
Gueck Pavilion and Tkachuk Terrace are completed
Condie Field, a cutting edge turf field, is completed
Kornmann Family Playground opens for play
Ririe Family Tennis Complex is dedicated
Schaefer Family Student Life Center is completed
The question is not whether Sacred Heart education at Villa Duchesne will continue to transform lives. It will. The question is whether we will provide the extraordinary spaces that our mission deserves as we enter our second century.
–Mrs. Alice Dickherber
Path to a SHARED VISION
We have the privilege of designing for Villa’s future, and we know that the next 100 years of Sacred Heart education at Villa Duchesne begin with the choices we make today. In 1927, Reverend Mother Mary Reid led an effort by the Society to acquire parcels of land in Frontenac from the Lang Family and the Jaccard Family. Years later, we are blessed with a vast campus and buildings defined by breathtaking beauty. Our structures tell the story of our history and require investment to serve our future students. In 2024, as a part of our listening and information gathering phase, we asked our families, alums, donors, faculty, staff, and students to share their thoughts about our campus. Here is what we heard:
When asked, would you be more likely to support new construction or renovation of existing space?
72% | Renovate existing space
28% | Build new spaces
When asked, what are the areas of highest priority to address or improve?
86% | Academic Spaces
60% | Dining and Common Areas
51
% | Athletic Facilities
50% | Entrance and Traffic Flow
29% | Fine and Performing Arts Studios
We know that ordered and intentional spaces foster the academic life of Villa Duchesne.
Integrating our spaces with our beautiful campus in thoughtful ways, we can elevate the experience of every single student, age three through grade twelve, now and into the future. In these pages, we share a phased plan that reflects the priorities of the many constituencies invested in the legacy of Catholic, Sacred Heart education at Villa Duchesne.
Campus Master Plan TASK FORCE
Always with an eye on the horizon, the Board of Trustees assembled a Campus Master Plan Task Force in 2024 to create a shared vision for our beloved campus. Comprised of Trustees and School Administrators, this Task Force spent more than twelve months collecting data, visiting top independent schools, researching campus master plans, interviewing faculty, parents, students, and alumni, and assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the campus. This intentional process provided the necessary feedback for the Task Force to address the needs of tomorrow’s learners and preserve the best of what makes Villa great.
Dawn Nichols, Ed.D., Head of School
Alice Dickherber, Assistant Head of School for Strategic Initiatives
Dominic A. Key, Ed.D., Director of Operations
Omar Qureshi, Chair of the Board of Trustees
J.R. Mayer, Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees, Buildings and Grounds Committee Chair
Mike Michetti, Trustee, Strategic Planning Committee Chair
Mimi Hess Aliperti ’06, Vice President of the Parent Association (2023-2024 School Year), Academic Advisor
Bobbi Baker, Trustee
Karin Caito, Trustee
Brian Gross, Trustee
Dan Leary, Trustee
Katie McLaughlin Marshall ’98, Villa Duchesne-City House Alumnae Association Board Member
Advisory Members include: Therese Irvin Hagemeister ’85, Director of Enrollment Management, Debbie Schlattman, Director of Advancement, Jeannie Steenberge, Service Learning Coordinator, Tim Deines, Director of Athletics, Kate Graft, P.E. Department Chair, Head Field Hockey Coach,
Pamela Harris-Marcus, Dean of Student Life, Alison Webster Coulter ’94, Instructional Specialist,
Colleen McKillip ’24, Student Council President, Chris Palazzolo, Lower School Faculty, Jen MacArthur, Campus Minister, Emily Kaplan, Upper School Principal, Dr Melissa Allen, Dean of Middle School, Christine Phillips, Lower School Principal, Stacy Henning, Director of Academics,
Colleen Murray, Director of College Counseling, Aaron Kaiser, Director of Technology, Kevin Kramer,
Maintenance Supervisor, Tim Sansone, Megan Temple, Mike Thompson, Bruce Gibbs,
Mary Niemann Ciapciak ’75, Greg Hoffmann
PrOject
PHASES
The Campus Master Plan is intentionally designed to be completed in sequential phases that will minimize disruption on campus and ensure the daily life of the School will continue. The phases make this a true long-term vision for the School, rather than a reaction to immediate needs.
Phase 1 started in fall 2025 with construction of our new Middle School in the 1929 Building. Future phases will follow as funding and timing allow.
Athletic enhancements to be active throughout all phases and include: Condie Field Viewing, Holthaus Turf Field, Tennis Pavilion, Lower Campus Pavilion, Kenefick Gym Renovations, Pool Renovations, and a new Grass Soccer Field
PHA SE 1
PHASE 3
PHASE 2
Dining Hall
Condie Field Viewing
Phase
ONE
Middle School
The middle school years are pivotal—a time of incredible brain development and limitless potential. We envision a space where our students can thrive, supported by our exceptional educators, with a curriculum that challenges them to grow and build sound habits of intellectual formation, animated by a student life experience rooted in sisterhood and community.
The Middle School will reimagine the function, use, and layout of the second floor of the 1929 Building with best practices in student pedagogy at the forefront of the design process.
TWO Phase
The Pods
Originally constructed in 1970, the Pods were conceptualized by Margaret Erhart, RSCJ, and designed by architect Curtis Ittner. They were revolutionary for their time, intended to resemble tree houses and blend with the surrounding landscape. Restoration of these architecturally significant buildings is paramount, and renovations will lean into the original design to create true tree houses, complete with decks on the upper levels for outdoor classroom spaces for students in grades 3 - 5. The lower levels will enjoy panoramic views of the Lower Campus and house an art studio, performing arts, and a Spark Lab, all opening to exterior classroom and play spaces.
TWO Phase
Fine & Performing Arts
Our visual arts and performing arts programs offer students the opportunity to be creative, to explore, and to appreciate beauty in all of its forms. Celebrating the arts with a fine and performing arts wing located on the two floors above the Pavich Theatre will make an intentional commitment to fostering an appreciation for beauty and creativity in our Upper School students.
2
Phase
THREE
Early Childhood Center
Early Childhood is a formative time of inquiry, growth, and discovery. The Early Childhood Center, created to support this developmental stage, will be a contemporary, bright, and inviting space in the Duchesne Building for children in grades JK3 and JK4. Utilizing soft wood tones, bright colors with sky blue and invigorating greens, the space will open to an outdoor sensory garden for our youngest students to enjoy the natural wonders that our campus has to offer.
PHASE 3
Kitchen
Loft
THREE Phase
The Intellectual Exchange
A school library is far more than just a quiet room filled with books; it is the heart of the educational community, nurturing students’ curiosity, knowledge, and intellectual growth.
The Intellectual Exchange will be a modern retelling of the classic university library. The space will represent the pinnacle of Villa’s academic experience, housing College Counseling, Academic Advising, Academic Support Center, Global Studies, Service Learning, and a three-story Grand Reading Room. The Lower School will also see the transformation of their Library and Learning Center in Phase Three.
West Wing Cutaway
Catwalk View
FOUR Phase
A Central Entrance
As the School moves to three distinct divisions—Lower, Middle, and Upper Schools—shared spaces must reside at the core of the campus to bring all three divisions together. An entrance courtyard and new dining facility will connect the 1929 Building to Kenefick Gym. The most notable landmark of our re-envisioned campus will be the new entrance and clock tower, built in conjunction with the School’s 100th anniversary to honor the century past and count the hours of the century to come. The tower will mark the main entrance, beckoning guests to enter our doors and find their home at the Sacred Heart.
PHASE 4
Phase FOUR
Dining Hall
Lunch is a vital part of the Villa experience; sharing meals with others creates a sense of belonging and builds deep community. Villa’s current kitchen and primary dining room have been in the same space since the School opened in 1929, with 127 students.
A place for students to nurture their bodies, fuel their minds, and build lasting friendships, the new dining hall will be situated as an addition to the Schaefer Family Student Life Center and connect to Kenefick Gym. The dining hall will be the perfect hub for student gatherings, after-school events, and, of course, daily lunches. The space will be large enough to seat any one division of the student body in its entirety (Lower, Middle, or Upper School), plus staff and guests, totaling a seating capacity of 300.
PHASE 4
FIVE Phase
IDEAS Institute and Classroom Renovations
The Innovation, Design, Engineering, and Applied Sciences (IDEAS) Institute will encompass the existing Danis Science Wing and expand into the existing kitchen and dining areas of the 1929 Building. The IDEAS Institute is more than just a wing of the campus; it represents the future and our commitment to transformative education. The Institute will pioneer new types of learning environments that break the mold of the traditional classroom with modern, hands-on approaches to learning. The Institute will have designated spaces for immersive classes that foster inquiry- and project-based learning, such as robotics, engineering, film production, Health Sciences, Computer Sciences, Biology, Anatomy, Chemistry, Physics, and more. Our innovative students will have a technology-rich environment where the only limitation is their imaginations.
Duchesne Building renovations will include enhanced classrooms for young learners, a central administrative suite, and a renovation of Condie Hall that creates a central gathering space for students and teachers in our Lower School.
Making it POSSIBLE
The Campus Master Plan represents a comprehensive, phased initiative crafted with intentionality and a clear vision. Each phase has been carefully considered to ensure a smooth transition and optimal utilization of resources, guaranteeing that the campus evolves in a manner that continuously enhances the learning environment.
We are excited to announce that our phased implementation has already begun with the renovation and expansion of the Middle School physical space and academic program. We will proceed thoughtfully through our campus master plan, securing financial resources from our community to fully fund each subsequent phase.
If you would like to make a contribution in support of our Middle School Initiative and learn about ways to get involved, please contact Mrs. Deborah O. Schlattman, Director of Advancement, at 314.810.3589 | dschlattman@villa1929.org
If you would like to learn more about the Campus Master Plan, please contact Dr. Dominic A. Key, Director of Operations, at 314.810.3454 | dkey@villa1929.org
iLLa Duchesne
will never be complete. Just as our students are never complete. As long as our mission is alive, our students are curious, and our educators passionate for the promise that the future brings, our campus will continue to expand and evolve to anticipate the needs of Sacred Heart education.
