Site to be indoor sports complex
WINONA, Minn. – The Italianesque Lourdes Hall, once the gorgeous and vibrant heart of the College of St. Teresa, has been purchased by Cotter Schools. Mary Eileen Fitch, Cotter’s president, said the massive building will be knocked down and replaced with a state-of-the-art indoor athletic complex. The historically all-women’s College of St. Teresa went broke in 1989 with reportedly 15 students. Lourdes Hall, the campus centerpiece, was purchased by Winona State University for $5 million in a package that included two smaller CST buildings. Winona State abandoned this satellite West End operation in 2023, sold off two buildings, and put Lourdes up for sale for $3 million The university eventually dropped the asking price to $750,000. Still there were no takers. Alas, renovations of the near century-old building would have cost multiple millions of dollars. Fitch didn’t disclose what Cotter is paying Winona State. She said the city had signed off on details, as well as the St. Teresa Alumnae Association. Fitch said the future athletic facility would be a blend of turf and hard surfaces, with a walking track, year-round spaces for athletics physical education classes, and community recreation. She said an architect has been commissioned. The space, she said, will enhance student learning by supporting physical education, co-curricular programs, and intramural programs.
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Abandoned, ghostly. Lourdes was built 1927 for the then-thriving St. Teresa women’s college. Among features was an indoor swimming pool, built to then-current standards, and a massive dining and banquet hall with a bank of nine towering arched windows that looked northward what at the time was a bucolic scene on Garvin Brook. Image: Steve Lunde
Fitch. President of Cotter since 2021. Earlier principal.
Verbatim
Fitch: “Lourdes Hall served the College of St. Teresa, Winona State University, and the larger Winona community for decades, but after consulting with area contractors, it has been determined that unfortunately it cannot effectively or efficiently be renovated.”
Modern look. How Cotter has brought a contemporary and architectural coherency to old St. Teresa buildings.
Cotter profile
Cotter Schools is a consolidation of former neighborhood-based Catholic parochial schools. The curriculum covers Pre-K through high school. Since 1992 Cotter has occupied buildings on the abandoned College of St. Teresa campus and has kept acquiring and updating CST buildings. The campus is 70 acres. Cotter has nearly 900 students, compared to 2,800 in the Winona public schools. Cotter tuition: $5,600 a year for day students, $38,000 for boarding students.