Conal Hall Saint John's High School Shrewsbury, MA

Conal Hall Saint John's High School Shrewsbury, MA is my next painting. It was built for the growing Saint John's High School by the Xaverian Brothers in 1960. The Original School was built in 1898 and located on Front Street in Worcester across the street from Saint John's Church. St John's Catholic Church is the oldest Catholic Church in New England outside of Boston. It still serves the people of the Diocese of Worcester, MA and was built in 1845. The school building was bursting at the seams with each successive class of enrolling young men. So a parcel of land in Shrewsbury was sought to expand and spread out on. It was envisioned to include much needed future classroom space, a Brothers residence Hall, playing fields and adjacent undeveloped parcels with the potential to purchase and develop in the future. Conal Hall is named after Brother J.Conal Owens and is where the original classroom and faculty offices are located. Other buildings have been added to the campus since the property was purchased. The manor house, a one story stone structure with an interior open air courtyard is the only original building from the previous owners. It serves as a Brothers' residence now. The two story Conal Hall and the one story entrance Hall and offices are reflected in the newer Ryken Center and Founders Halls' proportions and palette of materials. This view of the site is on a warm summer afternoon, the American flag flying in the wind. Two large shade trees in full bloom, green against the brick and glass and blue sky above make the choice of which digital picture I shot this day to turn into my watercolor rendering an easy one.

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