Debris cleanup continues on former Academy, Retreat Center

Following the deconstruction of the final tall structures on the former Mount Saint Joseph Academy/Retreat Center on April 25, 2023, the rest of the week was spent separating the debris and hauling it away.

Excavators picked the metal from among the wood and bricks, loading the metal into trucks for recycling and the refuse into a separate truck to take to the Daviess County Landfill. The former Academy Student Shop, which was later the Gift Shop for the Retreat Center, remained standing as of April 28.

The goal of the contractors is to have the area cleared and sodded by June 1. Here are some pictures from April 28.

Some of the ground is finally clear again after three days of debris removal.
The metal is separated into piles to load into a waiting truck for recycling.
An excavator loosens some of the steel beams still left from the façade of the Retreat Center.
Loading metal into trucks happens throughout the day.
The leaning wall of the Gift Shop can be seen in the foreground, while in the background are the dining room doors for the Retreat Center.
Part of the metal fire escape is loaded into a truck.
The Sister Karl Melanie Brill Memorial bench was moved to protect it from harm. Sister Karl Melanie was a beloved teacher of boys at St. Alphonsus High School in the 1940s and ‘50s. The men who had been her students raised money in 1962 to secure this bench in her honor.
The view from the St. Angela Hall porch at the end of the day April 28.
The view of the deconstruction from the parking lot behind the Guest House, with the Our Lady of Fatima statue keeping watch.
The view coming up the drive to Maple Mount.
The view from passersby on Kentucky 56.

Comments

  2. Winnie Cohron

    I suspect this has been so difficult to watch. The pictures are hard to see.

    Nevertheless, your decision to move ahead in faith is a testament to who MSJ Ursulines are. Your unwavering commitment to being attentive to and accepting of current realities makes your actions admirable , courageous, and worthy of deep respect.

    Praying for and with you as you forge ahead!

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