Maryland College for Women was a school in

Lutherville, Maryland Lutherville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 6,504. Prior to 2010 the area was part of the Lutherville-Timonium CDP. Within its borders lies the Luther ...

. The school was founded in 1853 as the Lutherville Female Seminary. It was the centerpiece of the planned community of Lutherville, created by two

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

ministers, Benjamin Kurtz and John Morris, and named for theologian

Martin Luther Martin Luther (; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, and professor, and Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. He is the seminal figure of the Reformation, Protestant Refo ...

. The school building was a large limestone building with two wings and a 96-foot

observatory An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial, marine, or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysical, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed. His ...

, designed by the architecture firm of Dixon, Balbirnie, and Dixon. Classes began in October 1854, and included art, chemistry, modern and classical languages, mathematics, music, natural sciences, and needlework. Morris wrote that the curriculum would "embrace everything necessary to a solid and finished literary education." Morris sold the school to J. H. Turner in April 1886. The school was renamed the Maryland College for Women in 1895. Charles Wesley Gallagher served as president from 1908 until his death in 1916. In 1911, the College burned down and was replaced by a white stucco building. In the 1920s, the parents of actors

Warren Beatty Henry Warren Beatty (né Beaty; born March 30, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker, whose career spans over six decades. He was nominated for 15 Academy Awards, including four for Best Actor, four for Best Picture, two for Best Director, ...

and

Shirley MacLaine Shirley MacLaine (born Shirley MacLean Beaty, April 24, 1934) is an American actress, author, and former dancer. Known for her portrayals of quirky, strong-willed and eccentric women, MacLaine has received numerous accolades over her seven-dec ...

met on the campus of the Maryland College for Women, where they were both instructors. In 1952, the Maryland College for Women closed and became College Manor, a senior citizen's home.

References

1853 establishments in Maryland 1952 disestablishments in Maryland Lutherville, Maryland Former women's universities and colleges in Maryland {{Maryland-university-stub