St. Joseph Convent and Academy Complex

Set on about 26 acres in Garfield Heights, this complex serves as a provincial home of the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Third Order of St. Francis, a congregation founded in 1901 to serve Polish American communities. The oldest building, the 1924 convent and academy designed by Cleveland architect Franz C. Warner, is a three-story brown brick structure with red tile roofs, arched openings, terra cotta detailing and a chapel at the rear. Later additions include the 1939 Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa, the 1955 Trinity High School, a garage and other small buildings. Five buildings contribute to the district, while one altered building and seven objects do not. The complex matters because it opened a permanent province, a motherhouse and a high school for girls in 1926, and the school has operated ever since. The shrine also drew Polish Catholic pilgrims from across the region and nation. The buildings retain a high degree of integrity despite modest changes.