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Norwood-Fontbonne Academy exists through the merging of two academies, Norwood Academy for Boys and Fontbonne Academy for Girls. In the nineteenth century these two separate academies co-existed and were located in Mount Saint Joseph Convent at 9701 Germantown Avenue in Chestnut Hill. Soon after the Sisters of Saint Joseph arrived in Philadelphia and took possession of the Monticello estate in 1858, they established Mount Saint Joseph Academy, a boarding school for girls that operated under the same roof as their novitiate and motherhouse. In 1870 the Sisters began admitting young boys into the newly created St. Joseph’s Seminary for Little Boys. The boys were assigned special quarters within the convent. These two schools eventually moved into separate locations in Chestnut Hill. For the boys’ school the Sisters purchased in 1919 the estate of Reed A. Morgan situated one mile south of the Mount Saint Joseph Convent on Germantown Avenue. The twenty-five room stone mansion was built in 1852 as a summer house and was named Hillcrest because it was built on the northern slope of Chestnut Hill overlooking the Whitemarsh Valley. Originally, the seven-acre property stretched 390 feet along Germantown Avenue and its outbuildings included a garage, 18th century stone barn, and stuccoed Colonial dwelling from the late 1800’s. During the 1800’s the second owner commissioned building renovations in the Second Empirical style and renamed her estate Norwood. When the country residence was sold to the Sisters of St. Joseph in 1919, the buildings were quickly reorganized to accommodate the 48 boarders, 6 day students, and 9 sisters of Norwood Academy. Under the first Principal of Norwood Academy, Mother St. Pierre Byrne, the lives of the students were strictly governed in and out of the classroom. Beyond the primary focus of academic and spiritual education was a concentration on social development, music, and athletics. Norwood boys participated in sporting exhibitions on holidays or graduations and frequently joined in song for special celebrations throughout the year. Free hours were usually spent playing athletic games at the nearby Bullitt farm purchased by the Sisters of St. Joseph. During the early 1920’s the girls in Mount Saint Joseph Academy in grades one to six were moved from the campus of Mount Saint Joseph Convent to Fontbonne Hall, the second primary-level school started by the sisters in Chestnut Hill. The school opened in 1924 at 9001 Germantown Avenue and was named for Mother Fontbonne, the French founder of the Sisters of St. Joseph. In 1940, a seventh grade was added; in 1941, an eighth grade. In 1945 the girls were moved into a third mansion at the corner of Sunset and Norwood Avenue sold to the Sisters from the estate of Barbara Strawbridge Morris. Edge Hill, as this estate was called was, built in 1853. The mansion was renamed Fontbonne Academy. The former Fontbonne Academy at 9001 Germantown Avenue was named St. Michael’s Hall and is now used as a residence for the Sisters of St. Joseph. Fontbonne Academy remained open until 1959. At that time an addition called the Postulate was built next to the Morris mansion and was used as a house of formation and studies for the Sisters of Saint Joseph. In 1971 the Sisters decided to return the formation experience to Mount Saint Joseph Convent. At that time, the addition was renamed Fontbonne Academy and reopened as a girls’ school. The Strawbridge-Morris mansion was renamed Assumption Hall and now serves as a residence for the Norwood-Fontbonne Sisters. The Norwood Academy main building was also constantly changing to accommodate larger classes. During 1962-63 the two porches of St. Michael’s Hall were used as classrooms.. In 1969 boarding school status was eliminated. Five new classrooms, a large gymnasium with locker rooms, small kitchen area, and stage were constructed as “Unit D” or Sister James Anthony Hall in 1973. In 1973 Fontbonne and Norwood Academies merged as coed Norwood-Fontbonne Academy. Since 1980 the Pre-School Montessori classes have filled the Stone House and White Farmhouse on the Norwood campus; the Carriage and Gate Houses on the Fontbonne campus serve the same purpose. Today’s kindergarten can also be found in the White House. The Lower and Middle School children attend classes in the buildings on the Fontbonne campus; the Upper School students attend classes on the Norwood campus. On March 19, 2006, Norwood-Fontbonne Academy broke ground for major additions on both campuses. Renovations planned for the Norwood campus include: a two-story classroom wing attached to Sister James Anthony Hall; a high-tech science laboratory; reconfiguring of the “Big House” to house enrichment programs; development of a state-of-the-art computer center and library; provision for a common dining space; enlargement of the gymnasium; and renovation of existing classroom space. On the Fontbonne campus renovations include: the addition of The Commons, a multi-purpose building where the entire campus of 600 people can be together, providing gathering space for liturgy, stage productions, gymnasium, and cafeteria; additional improvements planned for the current buildings—a new main entrance, expansion of the library, indoor student waiting area and bus access. Norwood-Fontbonne Academy’s reputation has grown with the acceleration of its academic programming and physical expansion. Its mission remains the same: to prepare students for a lifetime by
Timeline1852 Construction of Hillcrest (Norwood estate)
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History of Norwood-Fontbonne Academy