Church use In 1902, with the support of Father Joseph C. Mallon, pastor of St. Ann Catholic Church in Tenleytown, the
Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, an order of
religious sisters based in
Indiana, announced plans to open a religious school in northwest Washington on land purchased from St. Ann's rectory. Two years later, another plot of land, this one across the street, was bought to spare the rectory from demolition. The plans followed a request by
Cardinal James Gibbons,
Archbishop of Baltimore, for the establishment of a "
select school for girls" in the District. A new building for this purpose was designed by architect
Albert Olszewski Von Herbulis, and, on July 2, 1904, the
cornerstone was placed atop what the Sisters dubbed "Mount
Marian." The Seminary of Our Lady Immaculate – or "
Immaculata," for short – was completed the following year. It was so named in honor of the
golden jubilee of
Pope Pius IX's
Ineffabilis Deus, which defined the
dogma of the
Immaculate Conception of the
Virgin Mary. On September 8, the school hosted Cardinal Gibbons, who blessed the structure and then helped conduct a
solemn high mass at St. Ann's; a sermon written for the occasion was given by F. X. McCarthy of Washington's
St. Aloysius Church.
Mother Superior Mary Cleophas Foley, also present, received a congratulatory letter from Cardinal
Sebastiano Martinelli in
Rome, passing along well-wishes on behalf of
Pope Pius X. On December 8, 1955, the day of the
Feast of the Immaculate Conception,
Amleto Cicognani,
Apostolic Delegate to the United States laid the cornerstones for three new buildings at Immaculata: Marian, Loretta, and Regina Halls.
Acquisition by American University In 1978, following the closure of Immaculata Junior College, American University began renting space in Marian Hall to address the need for additional student housing; shortly thereafter, they also started leasing Immaculata's gymnasium for evening use. AU officially took possession on December 4, 1986. After renovations were completed, the campus housed the university's Washington Semester and
study abroad programs. Purchased in 1987 by AU, Tenley Campus was acquired to alleviate space problems at the university's main campus. This campus was popular with interns because of its proximity to the
Tenleytown-AU Metro station on the
WMATA Red Line. It was formerly home to the
School of Professional & Extended Studies, including the
Washington Semester Program, as well as University Publications, the Media Relations department, and the
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. • Federal Hall—Housed 128 students; Contained the mailroom, computer lab, and dining hall (Tenley Café). • Congressional Hall—Housed 173 students; contained reception desk and Resident Director's office. • Constitution Building—Contained the Washington Semester Program, University Publications, Alumni Relations, and other administrative offices. These offices and the buildings that housed them were largely demolished in 2013 to make way for a new home for the
Washington College of Law. In 2016 the school completed a slew of new academic buildings designed by the architectural firm
SmithGroupJJR, and the Washington College of Law formally relocated to Tenley Campus. The new law school was formally dedicated on February 12, 2016. In attendance were
Mayor of the District of Columbia Muriel Bowser and
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who gave the keynote address at the event. ==Significant contributing properties==