The Council of Independent Colleges: Historic Campus Architecture Project

Clet Hall

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Clet Hall (front facade), Niagara University

Institution Name: Niagara University
Original/Historic Place Name: College and Seminary of Our Lady of Angels
Location on Campus: NW Side
Date(s) of Construction:

1862	original construction

Designer: unknown
Type of Place: Individual building
Style: Romanesque revival, Victorian (Glossary)
Significance: architecture, culture, education, history, religion
Narrative: see below
References: see below

Materials:

Foundation: stone

Walls: stone

Roof: concrete plank with asphalt shingles

Function:

ca. 1862	other (College and Seminary of Our Lady of Angels)
ca. 2004-present (2006)	other (campus club)
ca. 2004-present (2006)	dining hall (dining commons)
ca. 2004-present (2006)	academic department building (theater)
ca. 2004-present (2006)	theater (Leary theater)
ca. 2004-present (2006)	residence hall

Narrative:
Clet Hall (pronounced CLAY) was the first building erected after purchase of the campus in 1856 by the Rev. John J. Lynch, C.M., a Vincentian priest who was the co-founder of the university and the first archbishop of Toronto. It was originally built in 1862 to house the College and Seminary of Our Lady of Angels, the forerunner of Niagara University. The structure burned in December of 1864, forcing the seminary to close for a nine-month period during reconstruction.

Clet is named for Francis Regis Clet, a Frenchman who served as a Vincentian missionary in China during the last 30 years of his life (1748-1820). He was canonized a saint on Oct. 1, 2000 by Pope John Paul II, along with more than 100 other martyrs of China.

The building, which has two wings, serves today as a residence hall. It also houses the Leary Theatre, the department of theater and fine arts, the dining commons, and the campus club.

References:

McKey, Joseph. History of Niagara University and Seminary of Our Lady of Angels 1856-1931. Niagara County, NY: Niagara University, 1931.

Niagara University Alumni Chapel History and Guide. Niagara, NY: Niagara University Office of Public Relations, 1995.

Niagaran Centennial Edition Yearbook. [Niagara, NY: Niagara University], 1956.