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In November 2004, Boston College acquired St. Stephen's Priory in Dover, Massachusetts, 12 miles southwest of the Chestnut Hill campus. The 78.5-acre property alongside the Charles River includes a 51,000-square-foot main building and two smaller structures, walking trails, tennis and basketball courts and open field space. The land was developed between 1902-1909 by Arthur Davis and his wife, Mary, who was the daughter of Benjamin P. Cheney. Benjamin Cheney was a successful businessman and one of the founders of the American Express Corporation. The Davis home, which came to be known as Gracestone Farm, featured landscaping by Olmstead & Vaux, with formal gardens and fieldstone paths. The Davis Family sold the property in 1945, and it passed into the hands of the Dominican Order in 1949. In August 1950, the Dominicans welcomed a class of 41 novices to St. Stephen's Priory. Both the novices and priests resided in the Davis residence until 1952, when a 70-room addition was added to the structure. In 1984 the novitiate was relocated to Cincinnati, and the priory focused its mission on retreat ministry and sabbatical programs for religious women. In the fall of 2005, John '63 (Jack) Connors and his wife Eileen '66, '95 MSW donated a $10 million gift to establish The Connors Family Retreat and Conference Center. The center has 70 bedrooms, conference rooms, a dining hall, library, formal living room, and chapel. Guests may also roam the grounds and walk a pathway to the Charles River. |
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