Shawnee in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma — The American South (West South Central)
Benedictine Hall
1915
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 21, 2025
1. Benedictine Hall Marker
placed on the
National Register
of Historic Places
by the United States
Department of the Interior
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Education • Religion & Religious Structures. In addition, it is included in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1915.
Location. 35° 22.053′ N, 96° 57.252′ W. Marker is in Shawnee, Oklahoma, in Pottawatomie County. It is on Turner Circle 0.4 miles north of West Macarthur Street, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1900 W MacArthur St, Shawnee OK 74804, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Central Oklahoma Frontier Country and in Greater Oklahoma City. It is also in the American South, specifically on the prairies, and on the Southern Plains. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Home on the Range (approx. 2.9 miles away); Shawnee Milling Company (approx. 3.4 miles away); Shawnee Horse Trough (approx. 3.4 miles away); Beard Cabin (approx. 3.4 miles away); Washington Irving (approx. 3½ miles away); Louise Funk Fluke (approx. 3½ miles away); Historic Rainbow Arch Bridge (approx. 4.8 miles away); Shawnee Mission (approx. 5.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Shawnee.
Regarding Benedictine Hall. Excerpts from the National Register nomination, written in 1975:
St. Gregory's College is Oklahoma's only Catholic institution of higher learning. With some 500 students - and a solid academic reputation - the two-year school represents a century of dedicated labor in the state, in both the religious and the educational field by the Order of St. Benedict. Specifically, this nomination covers St. Gregory's landmark building, a noteworthy Tudor Gothic affair completed in 1915, the year the school moved to Shawnee from Sacred Heart, some 35 milesto the south.Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 21, 20252. Benedictine Hall Marker
From the first the Benedictines were determined to make their new school something out of the ordinary. Architect Victor Klutho of St. Louis, a devotee of Tudor Gothic, was hired. His designs were approved and the cornerstone was laid May 4, 1913. The massive building was completed in 1915 - in time to receive its first 40 students.
Update: A 2011 earthquake severely damaged the building, collapsing one turret and requiring the removal of the other three. They were restored as part of a repair project partly funded by $2.5 million raised by donors worldwide. However, the financially strapped school closed in 2017 and entered bankruptcy. Hobby Lobby, the arts and crafts chain, bought the campus and later donated it to Oklahoma Baptist University. In June 2024, the university returned the campus to St. Gregory's Abbey in exchange for other land owned by the Abbey. As of mid-2025 redevelopment plans had not been finalized.
Also see . . .
1. St. Gregory's Abbey and College (PDF). National Register nomination for the property, which was listed in 1975. (Prepared by Kent Ruth, Oklahoma Historical Society; via Oklahoma State Historic Preservation Office)
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 21, 2025
3. Benedictine Hall
2. St. Gregory's University. Located in Shawnee, Oklahoma, St. Gregory's University is a Roman Catholic, four-year, liberal arts college sponsored by the Benedictine monks of St. Gregory's Abbey. The school traces its roots back to 1875 when monks from the French Abbey of La Pierre-qui-Vire came to Indian Territory (I.T.) at the request of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. (Nicholas Ast, in The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, Oklahoma Historical Society) (Submitted on August 15, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 21, 2025
4. Benedictine Hall
Credits. This page was last revised on August 15, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 15, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 111 times since then and 36 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 15, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
