Mundelein College Skyscraper: Educating Women in the Modern World

Sisters of Charity (B.V.M.) and the Society of Jesus (S.J.): Building Chicago Together Since 1867

In 1930 the Sisters of Charity (B.V.M.) opened their Mundelein College Skyscraper, built in Jazz Age Chicago’s Art Deco style. The B.V.M. congregation had been forward looking ever since their 1832 founding in Ireland. In 1867, they accepted Fr. Arnold Damen, S.J.’s invitation to expand to Chicago and staff the recently founded Holy Family (Jesuit) Parish’s schools. Under the strong leadership of Sr. Agatha Hurley, B.V.M., the school system grew exponentially. Sixty years later, the B.V.M.’s built their visionary women’s college adjacent to Loyola’s Lake Shore Campus. Students from both schools enjoyed coeducational opportunities during the coming decades.