Choir school completes hall's renovations

Friday, Mar. 24, 2017

SALT LAKE CITY — Ever since the Madeleine Choir School moved from the basement of the Cathedral of the Madeleine to the former Rowland Hall-St. Mark’s School on First Avenue in Salt Lake City in 2003, the school has worked toward improving the historic Jacquelyn M. Erbin Hall.

Those improvements included building new classrooms, science labs and a library. On March 20, the work on the hall was completed, and Bishop Oscar A. Solis blessed the newly renovated building and celebrated Mass with the students.

During the ceremony, students crowded around the bishop as he prayed, asking God to bless the school and its new spaces. The choir sang as the bishop paced along the hallways of Erbin Hall, sprinkling holy water as he went.

After the blessing was finished, Bishop Solis thanked the students for listening and “not falling asleep during my homily” at Mass. He said it was only fitting they deserved a reward and declared there would be “no school on Sunday.” The kids laughed as Bishop Solis smiled and waved.

Erbin Hall was built about 100 years ago; its construction was handled by five different groups at five different times, so the final floor plan was a mess, said Gregory Glenn, the school’s pastoral administrator and director of liturgy. 

When the Madeleine Choir School moved onto the campus, “the first thing we were worried about was safety,” Glenn said. Erbin Hall could be very unsafe for children if an earthquake struck, and “the entire lower floor was unusable space,” because of the old swimming pool there, he said.

“The building was in very, very bad condition,” Glenn said.

In June of 2015, the school felt ready to do something about Erbin Hall at last, Glenn said. A plan was put in place to raise $5 million for the renovation of the 100-year-old hall. Though the cost ended up being about $6.5 million, the 2016-2017 school year finally saw the fruits of years of labor. 

Matt Kitterer, the school’s director of advancement, said a fundraiser contest was what finally pushed the school to reach its goal. Starting with the Class of 1997 up to the Class of 2026, the school challenged each to raise the most money. Donations were made by parents of students as well, particularly for younger classes. The winner, the Class of 2015 with almost $45,000 raised, will be rewarded with the right to name Glenn’s new office, Kitterer said. The office, while it is not a part of the Erbin Hall restoration effort, was completed nearly at the same time, he said.

On March 20, several donors were recognized, including the Knights of Columbus, who donated $60,000 to the restoration project, Kitterer said.

“It was a very successful effort,” he said.

The contest and help from key donors was just what the school needed to push them to the finish line, and on March 20, they were ready to unveil the improved Erbin Hall. Bishop Solis coming to bless the building “means a great deal to us,” Glenn said. Not only does the school get to see this long project come to completion, but “we get to welcome our new bishop and that in of itself is a thrill.”

With this restoration project finally completed, “we’re crossing a rather historic milestone,” Glenn said. Though no concrete plans have been set yet, the addition of a gym could be the next big project for the school, he said.