Design

Constructed in the early 1900s for the Sisters of Mercy as a school for young women, the glorious building is a large masonry structure, four and five stories in height with Georgian Revival styling. Its exterior is finished mainly in red brick, with limestone and buff brick used in the trim.

A columned portico dominates the stunning entrance while tall windows grace the brick façade. (A secondary entrance on the western side of the building offers direct entry without a staircase.)
The magnificent interior spaces include stained glass windows, original choir loft and organ, massive columns, and soaring ceiling heights.

The School

The school was completed in 1908 and named The Mount St. Joseph Academy. It was considered one of the finest private high schools for girls in Connecticut. Sitting on an exceptionally beautiful site, “The Mount” was first a boarding school and eventually a day school reaching a maximum enrollment of 565 in 1958. Classes were held here for 70 years, until the school finally closed in 1978.

Adaptive Re-use for Today’s Lifestyle

The Hartford Insurance Group reopened the doors in 1980 as an educational conference center. The group was careful to preserve the building’s historic integrity, and in 1983, the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Marriott Corporation purchased the building in 1996, and again preserving the historic elements, renovated it for contemporary assisted living.

And now, Aviva Senior Living continues to honor the building’s history as it upgrades and modernizes the community with new technology and modern efficiency for today’s seniors.