In time, fewer orphans and fewer Italian-named and mixed ancestry children led to renamed institution: St. Saint Domenico Italian Orphans Home, 1340 Partridge Ave., University City, MO in Saint Louis County. Organized 1925 Opened 1931 Closed 1960
Originally, the Theodore Salorgne, Sr. Home or Mansion, 1340 Partridge Ave., University City, MO c. 1893 Charles Rosseau, architect
Theodore Salorgn
e, Jr., purchased Lot 6 in 1891-1893 and built the house at 1340 Partridge Avenue there.. The son of an immigrant from France, he had sold the family's carriage-building business a few years before. This modest three-story mansion with a small third floor that can be regarded as an “attic” was built in 1892-93 by Theodore Salorgne, Jr. The house is built of quarried-stone and has or had a distinctive red Spanish-style clay-tiled roof. Built originally centrally on thirteen acres, in St. The property also contained a 2-storey barn, a root cellar, a chicken coop, a vineyard, gazebos, flower and vegetable gardens (Snapdragons) and several fruit-bearing trees; among them, persimmon trees as well as other large trees. The barn provided accomodation for a (carriage) horse, a milk-cow, and nearby a chicken coop. By 1926-1931, much of the agrarian element and the animals were gone. The Salorgne family sells the property after a mere 17-18 years to the Sisters of Saint Mary in 1909. It was known as St. Mary's Home (for retired or ill nuns in need of recovery.) After 17 years in 1926, it became a retreat center for the Women’s Retreat League conducted by the Sisters of the Cenacle.. In 1931, the owners, Sisters of St. Mary sold the building to the Board of Directors of the St. Domenico Italian Orphans Home in 1930 and it opened in 1931 with ten children. The Saint Domenico organization had been founded in 1921 through a bequest of Domenico and Maria Signaigo. Father Cesare Spigardi, of St. Charles Borromeo Church, in the City of St. Louis, determined at the time that the bequest was not enough until 1925 when Mrs. Rosa Cafferata left in her will a bequest for the future St. Domenico Italian Orphans Home to Archbishop Glennon of the Archdiocese of St. Louis. Cesare Chichizola, a Board member and others finally asked the Sisters of the Most Precious Blood to staff the new Orphanage. In time, his daughter, Sister Mary Rose, a Most Precious Blood sister is placed at the new Orphanage to teach the children. Her brother, Joseph Chichizola, DDS took on the role of head of the Board of Directors
It must be said that the Board of Directors was unsuccessful in getting an Italian-American religious congregation to care for the all Italian-American children at that time (1931-1941), but by the early 1950s., the ancestry of the children were mixed. The Italian-American identity had disappeared. Many were half or not orphans at all. The Orphanage started with ten children in 1931 when the mansion was the only building. In those days, both the Sisters and the children lived in the original mansion. The five Sister's bedrooms were on the second floor. The first floor consisted of two large parlors, a dining room, a small tea/breakfast room, a staircase, a large foyer with a fireplace, a staircase with a magnificent stained glass window on the landing leading to the second floor. Here was also an utility room (Pantry and dumb-waiter) and very large kitchen. The basement of the mansion was basically laundry, storage, utility. and maintenance. Virtually all of the rooms had fireplaces. These were labor managed-intensive. Later, radiators would be added with a boiler.. Access to the mansion was from Partridge Avenue through a stone arched gateway with double gates leading to a circular drive-way that circled around the buildings. The same drive led to a rear exit near the barn leading via Roberts Court to Pennsylvania Ave. The arched stone gateway indicated painted lettering on its arched section: "San Domenico Italian Orphanage" or when the times changed; "St. Dominic Children's Home". A stone statue of St. Dominic, founder of the Dominican Order was installed in front of the mansion was a gift from Domenica Casaleggi, a California resident. The statute was the most pronounced feature standing in front of the Home. In 1938, a connected 2-story brick wing with basement was built and attached to the rear of the mansion. The 1938 building material did not match the original mansion's quarried-stone and had led to a later action that the Salorgne House be placed on the University City Historic Preservation Commision with no further alteration. The first floor of the new 1938 building consisted of two dining rooms and a school room with the chapel on the entire second floor. The basement was used originally as a dormitory, later as an indoor play area and other events after a new dormitory building was built in 1947. In 1947, a dormitory building was built on its south side and was connected by a mid-air arched walkway (skybridge) to the mansion on its north side. This 2-story matched stone building would be the new dormitory respectively for the boys on the first floor and the girls on the second floor. Each floor had a private bedroom for one Sister. The rather large basement was a playroom, laundry, restrooms and other storage closets. By 1959-1960, the (Italian Orphans) Home would close. Sisters Mary Rose, Elizabeth Marie, Timothy, Isabel and Gregory et al received the news of the closing of this rather unique institution. By the 1970-80s, the 2-story barn, the chicken coop and other stand-alone structures (gazebos) would be torn-down due to age. The Holy Family gazebo was a favorite for the kids who would hide and seek. The root cellar was filled-in. The grape vinyard was removed along with the original stone-arched gateway and gates. The statute of St. Dominic is long gone. The red Spanish clay-tiled roof was replaced by either slate or shingle. By this time, there is nothing left to indicate that this was ever St. Domenico except the original Theodore Salorgne mansion. St. Domenico was one of the many thousand Roman Catholic orphan (children) homes that closed across the nation. The need for orphanages decreased, and in 1959-60, the property became Mercita Hall, (Sisters of Mercy), a group home for teenage girls who were not being served by foster homes. Eventually many of the former orphan asylums across the nation became residential treatment facilities. Mercita Hall was operated by the Sisters of Mercy and gradually was replaced by Marian Hall, another agency serving severely-disturbed and behaviorally-disordered youth. By this time, there were very few nuns left and most staff were lay-women with specialized training. In 1988 the property was transferred to the Archbishop of the St. Louis Archdiocese. The original thirteen acres was reduced with a new public park maintained by University City, MO on the south side; dividing the property at least by half with the remainder of the property to be known as Good Shepherd Services for Children and Youth in 2007 following its final consolidation of four pre-existing Catholic Service Agencies into one. As of Spring, 2008, new construction of an additional building to the rear of the former chapel/school room building (1938) is due to be completed in 2009. This expansion indicate that the property has become a small complex or campus consisting of 4 buildings. The mansion is no longer the main entrance and has been sealed off. The new (2009) building has become the new entry-way. Conclusion: all of the original Italian-American founders and most of the German-American nuns have died. Many of the former children are now elderly. The memories are fading and the character and the experience exist only in the memories of those former children and the archives at the Precious Blood Motherhouse in O’Fallon, MO.
