Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
Marshall Cohen—researcher and producer, CNN
Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
MOUNT CARMEL MOTHERHOUSE
MOUNT CARMEL MOTHERHOUSE. The Mount Carmel Motherhouse of the SISTERS OF CHARITY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY (BVM) was completed in 1893. It sits on 110 acres overlooking the MISSISSIPPI RIVER. The building is the spiritual home for nearly 600 Sisters in the community. In recent years, seventy retired Sisters lived here; an additional one hundred forty Sisters lived in adjacent buildings. The building is also the administrative center of the congregation.
Limestone quarried on the ground and faced with Bedford stone gives the Motherhouse a solid foundation, seven feet thick at its base. The spectacular view of the Mississippi can be seen from its 250 foot long bluff frontage. The original flooring is hard maple, and all other woodwork is solid oak. Original fireplaces and shutters are among other interesting original features. The completion of a major renovation, resulted in the entire building of 96,000 sq. ft. being geothermally heated and cooled.