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St Bernard’s
Rectory and Convent
Solliday Home
Watertown
Daily Times, 06 12 1976
The
present St. Bernard's rectory, built at the same time as the second and present
church in 1875, both with Watertown brick, has a unique Mansard style
roof. A French architect, Louis
Charboneau, came to Watertown with a contract for the J.
B. Murphy home, got other contracts here which served as a pattern or
instigator for others to build this same Mansard roof style.
Charboneau
had studied the Mansard style in France. (Mansard was a leading French
architect in the 17th century, appointed by the court as royal architect. He
had designed many of Europe's castles.)
A home
long known in Watertown as the Dr. A. F. Solliday home was purchased by St.
Bernard's as a residence for the sisters of the church school. The parish celebrated an open house for this
residence in June 1958. Dr. Solliday, a
dentist, as a young boy living on
Dr. Solliday was a general in the Spanish
American War. He was born in 1842, came
to Watertown in 1868. He had one son, also a Dr. A. F., more often called
Fay. The Sollidays
built a new home later at 114 South Church Street.
This
Solliday house is the only good example of a Richardson style well preserved in
Watertown. Henry Richardson was an
American architect (1838-1886) noted for his strength, daring and skillful
handling of materials.
He
designed many churches in the east and in the Midwest was the architect for
Marshall Fields Chicago store. The convent was adapted from his style,
though he personally had not designed it.
Original
land for St. Bernard's was donated by Patrick and Rose Rogan from lands secured
by the Rogan brothers in 1836.
|
114 South Church Street Solliday
House Former Convent, now Rectory. Parish offices on first floor Within weeks of Dr. Soliday's death St. Bernard's purchased his home for use as a Convent. |
Side yard of Solliday home. In upper left, the white house was the
second convent for the Nuns.
Originally they lived in the confines of the school. When their numbers grew, so did the need
for housing so the parish bought what is now the home of Mrs. Mary Wagner
[122 S. Montgomery]. Within weeks of
Dr. Soliday's death St. Bernard's purchased his home for use as a
Convent. The rest of the picture shows
that it was quite the showcase. A
swing set that would have been used by the schoolchildren is seen. With the new school building not being
there, there was a lot of room behind the school, Church and Rectory for them
to play. |
It is
reported that Dr. Soliday hated the Catholics, especially the children that
attended St. Bernard's School. If there
is any way that he knows that St. Bernard's purchased his home and that it
became the home of their Nuns and is now the Rectory/Parish Center, he has
rolled over in his grave at least 100 times.
The Solliday
House [present rectory] had been added on to many years ago when St. B’s first
began to have multiple priests serve the church. If you look at the house’s side that faces
the church, you can see where the addition was added.
One
who attended school at St. Bernard’s back in the 60’s remembers that “if you
collected Betty Crocker Coupons or box tops, you could take them to the back
door of the then convent (off of Emmet Street) and Sister Herbert the cook and
housekeeper would let you pick a prize out of a big box. You almost trembled walking up those steps
because almost everything was off limits then.”
110
South Church Street
St.
Bernard’s Rectory, uncertain date
110
South Church Street
110
South Church Street
Current
convent
My
great grandfather's uniform and my grandfather's dental chair are both in the
Octagon House. My great grandfather built the 3 story house at
My
Grandfather was a banker and Police and Fire Commissioner. After my Grandmother died firemen would come
over to the house and start my grandfather's 1940 Buick until he passed away in
the early 50's. The house was one of the
most beautiful in Wisconsin. Several
years ago I got a call from the Watertown Historical Society asking me to send
them a picture of the original house with a windmill in the back yard. When the windmill was taken down the backyard
was converted to a beautiful flower garden with a central mirror pond
containing some of the first Japanese Goldfish to be imported into the U.S.
When
my Grandfather (an Episcopal) died he left the house to the Catholic church
next door. It was used for many years as
housing for nuns.
Hap Solliday
Image
Portfolio
Click
to enlarge
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Solliday Home |
Solliday Home |
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Cross
References:
2003:
Rectory
considered for nomination to the Wisconsin State and National Register of Historic
Places.
2023:
WDTimes column on garden on Solliday property
History
of Watertown, Wisconsin