A 60-acre cluster of church, schools, rectory, and residential buildings anchored by the oldest Catholic parish in Monroe County, founded by French Canadians in 1788.
At a glance
The district sits at the junction of Elm Avenue and North Monroe Street in Monroe, Michigan. It includes four buildings: St. Mary Church, the Brothers of the Holy Cross residence, St. Mary Parochial Elementary School, and the St. Mary Catholic Central high school building. The complex was listed as a Michigan Historic Site and added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 6, 1982.
History
The parish traces its origins to St. Antoine aux Rivière Raisin, founded by ethnic French Canadians on October 15, 1788. That makes it the oldest church in Monroe County. The current site was constructed in 1834 and consecrated five years later. In 1845 the church was renamed St. Mary and placed under the leadership of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit.
The same year, the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary was founded in Monroe. Its first Mother Superior was Theresa Maxis Duchemine, an African-American woman of Haitian descent born in Baltimore. Duchemine had been a founding member of the Oblate Sisters of Providence, the first African-American religious order in the United States.
St. Mary Academy, an all-girls school, opened down the road in 1846. Monroe Catholic Central, an all-boys school, was built next to the main church. The two merged in 1986 to form the coeducational St. Mary Catholic Central high school, based in the former Monroe Catholic Central building at 108 West Elm Avenue. It remains the largest building in the district and the largest private school in the county.
What you see
The original church stood unchanged from 1839 until a 1903 expansion. The Brothers of the Holy Cross residence was built in 1870. St. Mary Parochial Elementary School was completed in 1903, the same year as the church expansion. The current rectory was added to the north side of the church in the 1920s.
Each of the four main buildings has its own distinct architecture. Apart from some additions to the St. Mary Catholic Central building, the complex has remained largely unchanged since the 1920s.
Cultural significance
The district holds layered histories: an 18th-century French-Canadian Catholic foundation, the early presence of African-American religious leadership through Theresa Maxis Duchemine, and nearly two centuries of parish-based education. Its location ties it to other Monroe landmarks. Across Elm Avenue stands the George Armstrong Custer Equestrian Monument. Across North Monroe Street lies the East Elm–North Macomb Street Historic District. Just across the River Raisin is the Old Village Historic District.
Key facts
- Country: United States
- City: Monroe, Michigan
- Coordinates: 41.9189, -83.3967
- National Register of Historic Places: listed May 6, 1982
- Michigan Historic Site: listed
- Area: about 60 acres (24 hectares)
Practical information & getting there
The district is bounded by Borgess Avenue to the west, West Willow Street to the north, Elm Avenue to the south, and North Monroe Street (M-125) to the east. It is located directly across Elm Avenue from the George Armstrong Custer Equestrian Monument. St. Mary Catholic Central high school continues to operate within the district at 108 West Elm Avenue.
Sources & resources
Find it on the map
See this place and what’s around it →📷 Become a Cultural Heritage Online photographer
Share your photos of places: they stay published under your name as the author. The more they're seen, the more you get noticed — and soon a contest will reward the most appreciated photos.
Log in or sign up free to add a photoIs this page about you?
This page is read by travellers and heritage enthusiasts who find it on Google. Tell us how you are connected to this place and we will take it from there.