The Society of the Sacred Heart began its apostolate in Albany with the blessing of a saint. The foundation in 1852 was the fulfillment of Mother Madeleine Sophie Barat's desire for still another "mission" in America.

The foundation moved several times in its early years. The first students were accepted at the Westerlo Mansion at 41 North Pearl Street. Located one block north of State Street, the property extended from the east side of North Pearl to James Street. 

By January, 1855, however, the Westerlo house was proving too small for some fifty-four pupils, so a property on the Troy Road in what is now Watervliet was purchased from Thomas Hillhouse. The Hillhouse residence was surrounded by 105 acres of gardens, fields, woods and farmland, but proved nearly inaccessible from Albany -- just a few miles to the south.

As enrollment approached capacity, it became clear that another location had to be found for the growing academy and for the other works envisioned.
 

A property south of Albany was secured, and in September 1859, the Academy of the Sacred Heart moved into "une maison magnifique" -- the beautiful Rathbone mansion of Kenwood. The house, a few miles south of Albany near the tollgate of the Bethlehem Turnpike was situated in a region of great historic interest. In 1618, a fort had been erected here by the Dutch; twelve years later the Dutch settler Albert Bradt had built a mill on the Normanskill. 

After the American Revolution, when peace brought encouragement for manufacturing, the Van Rensselaers had erected grain, cloth and lumber mills near the Hudson River. These became part of the 1200 acre estate which Joel Rathbone purchased. He gave the name "Kenwood" to the whole area. 

Kenwood was a wild, densely wooded hill that he converted into a country residence of much picturesque beauty. A.J. Downing, an authority on landscape gardening, praises his taste and industry, his "judicious preservation of natural wood which gave an effect of long cultivation." The estate was laid out in gardens and terraces, orchards and groves. The site commanded an excellent view of the Hudson River for several miles and of the mountains beyond. It was "probably the most beautiful location for education purposes in the state." 

The house set on a natural terrace on the side of the hill was built by Joel Rathbone in 1841 to be the home of his retirement. It was a fine example of Tudor architecture, and acclaimed as "one of the most complete specimens of the Tudor style in the United States." Both in a wood-engraving and a photograph of the house, many of the features of this style are evident: the porte-cochere in front; the wide veranda on the side; the sharply sloping roof with chimney line softened by molded bricks in clusters; the bay and mullioned windows; the square-headed windows with the Gothic label; the general castellated effect. Part of two buildings still standing date from the Rathbone days and show the same stylistic features: the gate-house and the coachman's house. The Society of the Sacred Heart purchased the Rathbone house and fifty-three acres of the estate.

On the First Friday of September, 1859, the first Mass at Kenwood was said in the large eastern parlor, which with its stained glass windows served well as a temporary chapel. On January 17, 1861, the school was incorporated as Female Academy of the Sacred Heart by an act of the Legislature of the State of New York.

The Civil War years were difficult for the boarding school, with enrollment dropping to thirty-seven in 1863. Money was scarce. The grounds and gardens could not be kept in as fine a condition as formerly. There are letters from Joel Rathbone voicing his concern about his former home and the deterioration of the property. 

In 1865, Mother Madeleine Sophie Barat, foundress and Superior General of the Society of the Sacred Heart, died in Paris on May 25. Though her loss was deeply felt, plans were made to undertake construction of a new school at Kenwood.

The year 1866 was an important one, inaugurating the period of construction that would continue for over five years. According to the plans there would be one long main building with wings for academy, chapel, and novitiate. On the first anniversary of Mother Barat's death, the foundations of the novitiate were begun. A new parish school would be located farther down the hill. The long desired expansion in Albany could begin.

Every detail of the construction was followed by Mother Aloysia Hardey, one of the foundresses of the Albany apostolate. Whether she was in Albany, New York, or traveling through her extensive vicariate, she wanted "regular information on the daily progress of the building." She wanted to know why the main building was placed sixteen feet instead of twenty-two feet north of the center of the Rathbone house. When delivery of the Dorchester stone was delayed in New York, she wrote that a boat should be chartered in Albany and sent to carry the stone. Her energy and vitality seemed to melt every obstacle, and the main building was ready for occupancy on January 6, 1867, when the first Mass was celebrated with thanksgiving.

The new year of 1867 brought both beginnings and endings. On May 19, Bishop Conroy laid the cornerstone of the new "church." A month later, workmen started to tear down the old mansion. No materials were lost in the demolition. All the fine woodwork and floors, the marble mantels, the decorated doors, the bay windows and the arched and square-headed windows were transferred to the new building. The beautiful Rathbone house was gone, but the garden wing of the new Kenwood retained some of the castellated features of its rural Tudor style.

The garden wing was destined for the Novitiate. The Journal for September 1, 1868 reflects the delight of the novices as they moved into the vast, bright study-hall and spacious, well-aired sleeping quarters. But the completion of the north wing was delayed by an unexpected request. In the spring of 1869, Mother Hardey was asked to contribute toward the erection of the new convent at Maryville, St. Louis. Her reply was to suspend construction at Kenwood, and to send the funds reserved for this purpose to Maryville. It was two years before the parlors and main entrance with its porte-cochere were completed. But by the end of 1871, the five-and-a-half years of building at Kenwood were over.

In 1895, Louden's edition of Catholic Albany describes the chapel at Kenwood as "one of the handsomest structures of its kind in the country. It is in pointed Gothic style with finely stained-glass windows and mural paintings of appropriate design and exquisite finish. The beautiful white marble altar is the admiration of all who see it." The altar was Bishop Conroy's gift to Kenwood, "a beautiful, massive, chaste and elegant structure," writes the annalist. The Bishop consecrated it on December 13, 1871 -- "a great day for Kenwood." The chapel then became what it has remained for over a century -- the center of Kenwood's life. 

The imposing new building on Kenwood's hill drew many visitors. It was a center of hospitality for traveling missionaries and priests. Missionary visitors came from many parts of the world: Mozambique, New Zealand, Vancouver, Alaska. Kenwood was always open to receive friends like Cardinal McCloskey who came from New York to visit.

The visit of President-elect Grover Cleveland deserves mention. In November 1884, he was given a reception by the students of Kenwood. He watched them file into the chapel before Benediction, and was much impressed by the sight. In return for their gift of flowers, he sent them a gift of money for a "treat" on his inauguration day.

For more information about how the Kenwood Academy of the Sacred Heart merged with the Episcopal St. Agnes School, please follow this link to the archives of The Evangelist, the official publication of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany.

And to visit the web site of the Doane Stuart School, click here: www.doanestuart.org .