Construction Source: While traveling on the
Long Island Rail Road in early 1932,
Mother Mary Louis, the General Superior of the Sisters of St. Joseph, selected the hilltop, the Fox/Adikes estate "Rose Crest," in the countryside of Jamaica Estates as her site for an academy; however, Mother Mary Louis died on May 22, 1932. Later, the hilltop was purchased by the
Passionist priests of the neighboring Immaculate Conception Monastery with the intent to build a high school seminary for boys at that location. Archbishop Thomas Molloy intervened and convinced the Passionists to sell the estate to the Josephites for exactly the same price they had paid for it themselves. In 1935, the Sisters of St. Joseph officially acquired the Rose Crest estate, and the
Mediterranean Revival white stucco mansion became the
convent for the Sisters. Mother Mary Louis had intended the nascent academy to be named Mother Fontbonne Academy, in memory of
Jeanne Fontbonne, the foundress of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Le Puy, France. Archbishop Molloy suggested that the Academy be named in memory of Mother Mary Louis herself. Sister Mary Angelica Clarkin CSJ, Ph.D., the founding principal, applied to the
New York Department of Education for the official Academy charter in the name "Mother Mary Louis Academy." When the charter was delivered, it arrived with the first two letters, as well as the last, in the word "Mother," missing; thus, the word "The" was permanently affixed to the name of The Mary Louis Academy. The architect of the academy's building, Henry Murphy, stated that he wanted to evoke the feel of the private prep schools found in New England. Murphy proceeded to model the building after the
Sterling Law Building at
Yale University. The building was built over a period of two years and finally opened its doors on October 16, 1938. The
Collegiate Gothic, was known as the main building. James Nelson, the builder of TMLA, celebrated the birth of his daughter during the building's construction by naming her for the Academy. Nelson subsequently registered his daughter as TMLA's first prospective student. Mary Louis Nelson went on to graduate from TMLA in 1955.
Enrollment The first students were fifteen young women who were greeted by a faculty of eight sisters for the first day of school on September 14, 1936. Classes were held in the parlor of the mansion that presently adjoins the Academy (now known as The Mary Louis Convent), while plans for the permanent Academy building were formulated. During this time, two wings were also added to the mansion, housing a
refectory and a
Mission style chapel. In 1938, TMLA also opened the doors to The Mary Louis Kindergarten, a one-year preschool program for 5-year-old girls and boys. The kindergarten was housed in a cottage adjacent to the convent and later moved to Immaculata Hall, one of the larger cottages on the academy's campus (the present-day Formation Cottage). Many of the female graduates of The Mary Louis Kindergarten, including Mary Louis Nelson, went on to graduate from TMLA itself.
Mariel, the school newspaper, published its first issue in 1936. The Christmas Pageant, sponsored by the Sodality, became an annual event. Spirit Night also became an annual tradition. In 1940, the first Commencement Exercises of The Mary Louis Academy, with the introduction of the C.L.S. Award, were done.
Renovations and Expansions Source: The main staircase, constructed in 1937, underwent a restoration, and the general office was restored to its 1938 floor plan. Home Economics was removed from the New York State Regent's curriculum and, as such, was subsequently removed from the academy's curriculum. The now-defunct Home Economics Complex was repurposed into three additional classrooms. In 2004, TMLA renovated the adjacent wing of the convent. This expansion built new classrooms as well as academic and counseling offices. In 2011, the number of Sisters residing in The Mary Louis Convent had diminished; as a result, the remaining Sisters relocated to neighboring convents, and the Convent building was turned over to TMLA. In the summer of 2014, TMLA renovated the former Convent Building (the original Rose Crest Mansion). This expansion and renovation added over 12,500 square feet to the academy's facilities, including a student lounge, art solarium, robotics/engineering laboratory, mathematics laboratory, culinary arts center, an 11-bedroom overnight student retreat facility, and a return to the original mission-style chapel. At the recommendation of the
New York City Council, the Office of Mayor
Michael Bloomberg approved the naming of Wexford Terrace between Edgerton Boulevard and Dalny Road, Mother Mary Louis Way, in honor of Mother Mary Louis Crummey CSJ, founder and namesake of The Mary Louis Academy. The 18-month-long process culminated with a televised dedication ceremony on May 1, 2009. == Services ==