Holy Name Seminary is a former

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

high school seminary begun in the 1960s on the west side of

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the List of municipalities in Wisconsin by population, second-most populous city in the state, with a population of 269,840 at the 2020 Uni ...

. In 2015 the seminary building and some associated structures were added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

as an excellent example of the Neo-Colonial Revival architecture style. The building currently houses offices for the

Diocese of Madison The Diocese of Madison () is a Latin Church diocese in the southwestern part of Wisconsin in the United States. The diocese has approximately 167,000 Catholics in 102 parishes with 98 priests in active ministry. As of 2025, the bishop of Madison ...

as well as an apartment community named Holy Name Heights.

History

In the years before 1946 the Catholic Church organized itself in Wisconsin into four

dioceses In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, prov ...

. In that year, to accommodate growing population, it split a fifth diocese out of the Milwaukee and La Crosse dioceses: the Diocese of Madison. The number of young men considering the priesthood also greatly increased and in 1962 Bishop William P. O'Connor announced that the Madison diocese would start a new seminary. Fund-raising commenced, and by 1964 $4 million was raised. The diocese's building commission hired Krueger, Kraft and Associates of Madison to design the main building, pictured, and construction began in 1963. It stands 3-stories, clad in red brick, with a tall central spire. The style is Neo-Colonial Revival, mixing modern elements like the multi-pane metal

casement windows A casement window is a window that is attached to its frame by one or more hinges at the side. They are used singly or in pairs within a common frame, in which case they are hinged on the outside. Casement windows are often held open using a case ...

and the modern interior with classical elements from

Colonial Revival The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture. The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the arch ...

style: the symmetry, the front

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cu ...

with two-story

fluted Fluting may refer to: *Fluting (architecture) *Fluting (firearms) *Fluting (geology) * Fluting (glacial) *Fluting (paper) *Playing a flute (musical instrument) Arts, entertainment, and media *Fluting on the Hump ''Fluting on the Hump'' is the ...

columns supporting a

pedimented Pediments are a form of gable in classical architecture, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the cornice (an elaborated lintel), or entablature if supported by columns.Summerson, 130 In ancient ...

gable, the brick

quoins Quoins ( or ) are masonry blocks at the corner of a wall. Some are structural, providing strength for a wall made with inferior stone or rubble, while others merely add aesthetic detail to a corner. According to one 19th-century encyclopedia, ...

at the corners. The steeple rises above the entrance, with a square brick tower leading to a wooden

belfry The belfry /ˈbɛlfri/ is a structure enclosing bells for ringing as part of a building, usually as part of a bell tower or steeple. It can also refer to the entire tower or building, particularly in continental Europe for such a tower attached ...

, then an octagonal

lantern A lantern is a source of lighting, often portable. It typically features a protective enclosure for the light sourcehistorically usually a candle, a oil lamp, wick in oil, or a thermoluminescence, thermoluminescent Gas mantle, mesh, and often a ...

and an octagonal spire topped with a

cross A cross is a religious symbol consisting of two Intersection (set theory), intersecting Line (geometry), lines, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of t ...

. The main building has a B-shaped footprint, with enclosed courtyards in the lobes of the B. Inside, the central section contained common areas - the chapel, dining, gym, pool and library. The east side originally contained the high school facilities and the west side the college facilities. The building had 800 rooms! A brick convent building for the

Sisters of Charity Many religious communities have the term Sisters of Charity in their name. Some ''Sisters of Charity'' communities refer to the Vincentian tradition alone, or in America to the tradition of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton (whose sisters are also of ...

was built south of the main building at the same time - 1.5 stories on a raised basement, clad in red brick with corner quoins and half-round windows that match the style of the main building. A garage, concession building and athletic fields were also built at the same time, and all are considered contributing to the NRHP nomination. The NRHP nomination observes, "Although the Colonial Revival style of architecture had historically been associated more with

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

churches than with the Catholic Church, in the years following

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

the Catholic Church in the United States seemed eager to establish an American identity.

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

churches, with stone exteriors and stained glass windows, were also increasingly expensive to construct. Thus, nationally in the post-war period, many Catholic parishes embraced the Colonial Revival for their new building campaigns." The first students arrived in September 1964. The school had space for 264 high school students, 122 college students, and 23 faculty. Holy Name was a

minor seminary A minor seminary or high school seminary is a secondary day or boarding school created for the specific purpose of enrolling teenage boys who have expressed interest in becoming Priesthood (Catholic Church), Catholic priests. They are generally ...

, which meant that a young man considering the priesthood could attend high school in a boarding facility. The high school at Holy Name was also open to boys headed for college and not the priesthood, as long as they abided by the rules. After four years of high school, the seminarian could continue at Holy Name for two years of junior college. At the end of that, if he was approved and chose to continue toward priesthood, he could continue at a major seminary, where he would study philosophy for two years and then continue to four years of divinity school. Enrollment dipped in the 1970s and the college classes were dropped in 1975. In 1995 Bishop Bullock closed the high school, citing a lack of priests to run it. The complex was converted into a pastoral center in 1998 and became known as the Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center and has since then housed a number of Catholic organizations, including

Catholic Charities The Catholic Church operates numerous charitable organizations. Catholic spiritual teaching includes spreading the Gospel, while Catholic social teaching emphasises support for the sick, the poor and the afflicted through the corporal and spir ...

and

Relevant Radio Relevant Radio (corporate name Relevant Radio, Inc.) is a radio network in the United States, mainly broadcasting talk radio and religious programming involving the Catholic Church. Relevant Radio broadcasts "talk radio for Catholic life" over a ...

. In 2015, it underwent a $23 million renovation, with a portion of the building being converted into a residential community of 53 apartments named Holy Name Heights. The seminary's chapel had never had an organ until after 2017, when a 1,187-pipe

Aeolian-Skinner Aeolian-Skinner Organ Company, Inc. of Boston, Massachusetts was an American builder of a large number of pipe organs from its inception as the Skinner Organ Company in 1901 until its closure in 1972. Key figures were Ernest M. Skinner (1866–1 ...

pipe organ The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurised air (called ''wind'') through the organ pipes selected from a Musical keyboard, keyboard. Because each pipe produces a single tone and pitch, the pipes are provide ...

was restored and installed in an 18-month project.

History

References

Further reading