A New Gymnasium and The Brothers' House

A New Gymansium and the Brothers' House

It must have been a bitter pill for Father Stephen, to look over the ruins of the Carriage House, but he rose to the challenge and led the drive to construct the St. Joseph gymnasium on the footprint of the old gym/carriage house. Stone from the first story of the carriage house can be seen incorporated into the north façade of the new building.

It  was at about this time that the school designed its seal and chose, perhaps not coincidently,  the  motto Succisa Virescit ("Cut Down It Grows Again)". This motto was borrowed from the coat of arms of the Abbey of Monte Cassino in Italy which had often been destroyed by war, most recently in 1944 during World War II. No evidence exists that the motto was chosen because of the fire and the quick rebuilding, but it seems a tempting conclusion.

In a significant act of unity, the Chapter quickly voted for the construction of a new gym to cost $110,000. Boys formerly housed in the old carriage house continued to be hosted by local day-hop families until the frame building that had originally been the home of Kountze’s farm superintendent, and later of Benedictine lay brothers, could be prepared for increased numbers of students by the addition of a wing to its south end. The structure, for some time termed the “Fraternity House”, had been in use as a dormitory since the fall of 1944. The structure did noble service as a dormitory for generations of students until its demolition in 1991. Many will remember with nostalgia the fun and the hardships of the old Brothers' House.

Meanwhile, Delbarton School continued to grow, thanks to Father Stephen’s ingenuity at utilizing any and all spaces. For example, in 1944 the porch at the south end of the main building was enclosed to serve as a classroom. (It later became the monks’ dining room.)  In 1947, the small but elegant stone building near the present South Gate, the former Kountze farm creamery, was converted into a chemistry lab. (Older alumni will remember the thrilling bus ride, down the then unpaved back road with Father Lucian Donnelly at the wheel.) In 1956, three classrooms were tucked into the east side of the St. Joseph Gymnasium. Currently the weight room, the addition looks like it has always been there.