Mount Washington Octagon

Mount Washington Octagon. . , In 1853, the Reverend Elias Heiner and George Gelbach, Jr. purchased several hundred acres called "Edwards and Wills Valleys and Hills" in Mt. Washington to establish a female college and German Reformed church., Reverend Heiner and architect Thomas Dixon began construction of the Octagon Building for the Mt. Washington Female College in 1855. The octagonal shape for buildings was made popular by Orson Squire Fowler, based on the premise it allowed more light, provided superior ventilation and a more efficient use of space. This is one of the few examples of an institutional building built in the octagon mode in the United States., By 1856, the college was chartered and entitled to grant high school degrees. It was the first college organized for women under the auspices of the Reformed Church. This was a school which catered to "young women of gentle birth who were come to almost exclusively from wealthy families of the Southland," offering a four year program of classical literature, European languages music and social graces., Unfortunately, the school closed in 1861, due to the Civil War. Later the college was acquired by Charles Dougherty for the Sisters of Mercy in 1867. The school was renamed Mt. Saint Agnes Academy and opened that year as a boarding school., Elementary high school and college programs continued at Mt. Saint Agnes until 1963. In 1971, Mt. Saint Agnes merged with Loyola College and was later sold to the United States Fidelity and Guaranty Company in 1982.