DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) - Contractors have wrapped up the first phase of a $90 million transformation project at Dubuque’s Mount Carmel campus, ushering in the start of a new era at the historic site.
Sister Teri Hadro, president of the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, said crews have completed construction of a 162,000-square-foot structure, and sisters began moving in this week. The facility will provide skilled nursing, memory care and enriched living services.
Altogether, about 100 sisters who previously lived elsewhere on campus will move into the new facility this week and next.
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In the midst of a difficult year defined largely by COVID-19 health concerns and isolation, the new amenities have provided a cause for celebration.
“There is an undercurrent of excitement that I sense when I am around the sisters,” Hadro told the Telegraph Herald. “They have watched the building going up, and now, they are excited to be moving things in. It is the culmination of our hopes and dreams.”
The Mount Carmel campus currently provides housing and care for 128 BVM sisters. About 180 employees work at the site.
The completion of the first phase of the project, which cost nearly $40 million, is part of a broader transition that allows sisters to remain on the campus but ultimately will open Mount Carmel to older adults from the general population.
The new building connects to the south end of the Motherhouse, which has been on campus since the 1890s.
Among various other amenities, Hadro emphasized that rooms within the new facility offer breathtaking views of the Mississippi River.
“(The new building) is both a peaceful place and one that invites people to get together for conversation and small prayer spaces,” she said.
Sister Marjorie Heidkamp has been a member of the BVM since 1952. Over the course of nearly seven decades, she has lived at Mount Carmel on three different occasions. Most recently, she moved back to the campus about four years ago.
While she won’t move into the new building until next week, Heidkamp had an opportunity to tour the new facility recently. She described the structure as “modern” but noted that multiple features - from its turrets to the shape of its windows - hearken back to the history of older buildings.
“I was amazed by the coordination between the old buildings and the new building and how it looks,” she said. “I think the architects made sure that it really merges into the rest of the campus.”
Her excitement about the new living quarters comes on the heels of a harrowing year for the sisters. Heidkamp noted that she hasn’t seen many of the sisters on campus for almost a full year.
“COVID deeply affected our lives. I don’t even know how to explain it,” she said. “The isolation has been difficult.”
In a year marked by change, Heidkamp is among many sisters experiencing yet another change brought about by the move.
However, she said she believes the sisters are uniquely prepared to embrace change.
“We have spent our years being on the move and going wherever we can be of service,” Heidkamp said. “We have learned how to be happy wherever we go.”
The completion of the new facility marks the first step in a multi-phase effort to reshape the campus.
A second new building will be constructed on the north end of the Motherhouse. It will include 115 senior-living apartments, Hadro said. To make room for that facility, two existing campus buildings - Marian Hall and Caritas Center - will be deconstructed.
Completion of the new building is slated for 2023, at which point members of the general population can start moving into the campus.
Future plans for the campus also include improvements to the Motherhouse, Hadro said.
The ongoing transformation of the Mount Carmel campus was made possible through a partnership with the nonprofit Presbyterian Homes & Services.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with the BVMs to develop a great community that will meet current and future needs,” PHS President and CEO Dan Lindh said in a joint press release.
Hadro said changing demographics - both within the BVM community and the local population - compelled officials to consider the future of the Mount Carmel campus.
BVM numbers have been in steady decline for years while the number of area residents seeking senior-living options has been on the rise. The partnership with PHS - and efforts to reimagine the campus - ensure that sisters can remain there, and other older adults will have an opportunity to enjoy the campus as well.
The end-result of the ongoing, $90 million project will be known collectively as Mount Carmel Bluffs. Hadro said about 400 residents already have expressed interest in living there once the project is complete.
“This assures that this place that has long been home to us will continue to be a home to others,” Hadro said.
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