The Council of Independent Colleges: Historic Campus Architecture Project

McAuley Hall and Walsh Auditorium

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McAuley Hall (ca. 1930), College Misericordia

McAuley Hall (parlor, ca. 1936), College Misericordia

McAuley and Walsh Auditorium (addition, ca. 1952), College Misericordia

Institution Name: College Misericordia
Original/Historic Place Name: McAuley Hall
Location on Campus:
Date(s) of Construction:

1928	original construction in June McGlynn, James A.
1930	opened in April McGlynn, James A.

Designer: James A. McGlynn
Type of Place: Individual building
Style: Gothic revival, Beaux-Arts classicism (Glossary)
Significance: architecture, education
Narrative: see below
References: see below

Materials:

Foundation: stone and masonry

Walls: hollow tile and reinforced concrete faced with rough buff texture brick, trimmed with terra cotta, limestone, and granite

Roof: ballasted rubber membrane (present)

Function:

ca. 1930	other (campus ministry offices)
1930-1994	residence hall (with social rooms)
ca. 2004-present (2006)	other (Insalaco Center for Career Development)
ca. 2004-present (2006)	academic department building (Munson II new media labs and studio)
ca. 2004-present (2006)	faculty offices

Narrative:
McAuley Hall was the second building erected on the College Misericordia campus. Its style and appearance complement the original college building; building specifications indicate that the sisters hired a local architect (James A. McGlynn) for the project. The new (1930) residence hall was named for Mother Catherine McAuley, founder of the Sisters of Mercy. It is common for Mercy Colleges to name a major building after Mother Catherine McAuley, and the founding sisters did so at their first opportunity. When the east and west wings of the administration building were completed (1932), an arcade, still used today, was designed to connect the buildings. The "Italian Walk" and formal gardens of the 1930s also enhanced the aesthetic ambience of the campus. A new formal entrance was also completed in 1932 and is still used as the main entrance to the campus. The design mirrors the main building façade and towers.

McAuley Hall's significance is primarily the building's design and educational mission; but it also extends to the social and cultural development of students. Though other residence halls were erected, McAuley Hall continued to function as a residence hall for women (and later for men) until the completion of Gildea Hall in 1994. (It was also home to the Campus Ministry for more than a decade, and to Campus Safety and Security).

The building now houses the Insalaco Center for Career Development, the Service Leadership Center, and faculty and staff offices; lower levels house communications classes, educational technology labs, new media labs, and studios. Renovations for the varied uses have preserved some important details, particularly in the main foyer.

References:

Collection of master plans. Office of the Vice-President of Financial Affairs, College Misericordia, Dallas, PA.

Ference, Regina C. A History of College Misericordia. M. A. thesis, University of Scranton, 1963.

Herron, Mary Ualalia. The Sisters of Mercy in the United States 1843-1928. New York: Macmillan Co., 1929.

Kelly, Regina, and Agnes Toloczko Cardoni. At the Edge of Centuries: College Misericordia 1913-1999. Dallas, PA: College Misericordia, 1999.

Selected collections. Sister Mary Carmel McGarigle Archives, Benevino Library, College Misericordia, Dallas, PA.

Sisters of Mercy of the Americas Archives. Regional Community of Dallas, Dallas, PA.