MADONNA HALL - The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History

MADONNA HALL, a non-sectarian home for the elderly, opened in 1926 as a Catholic-sponsored boarding house for working girls and women. Madonna Hall operated as a residence for business and professional women until 1946, when the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland acquired the brick building at 1906 E. 85th St. and converted it into a nursing home for 105 elderly women, operated by the Franciscan Sisters of the Blessed Kunegunda. A separate chapel, seating 125, was dedicated on 26 June 1948. CATHOLIC CHARITIES CORP. and the Franciscan Sisters operated the nursing home until 1970, when the religious order became unable to staff it. The home was sold to a consortium of doctors, Scidem, Inc., which continued to operate the facility as a nursing home, accepting both men and women. Madonna Hall ceased to be a Catholic organization, however, and residents wishing to remain in Catholic homes were transferred elsewhere.

See also OLD AGE/NURSING HOMES.

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