The Renner House

Renner House 2007 Renner House 2009

Renner House, 2007 (left) and 2009 (right), (click thumbnail for larger images)

The Renner House is the College President’s place of residence, located across the street from the main entrance of the College. The building and furnishing of the house was completely funded by an anonymous couple, and so no college funds were used. Mary Ann Baenninger, the president at the time of construction, had no real input as to the design of the house. She accepted that it is the college house and not her own. The challenge of constructing and furnishing the president’s house was to create the privacy of a home with a need to provide public hospitality. Being able to host 70 people, the house was needed to serve as a reception hall, guest house, and dining facilities for visiting dignitaries, as well as a home. Out of the 5,000 square feet of space that the house offers, only 1,800 square feet is for personal living space.

The design of the Renner House mirrors some of the architectural aspects of the Main Building. The interior design is very symbolic of the College and its history. The Renner House was completed and blessed on June 9, 2005. It is named after S. Emmanuel Renner, Professor Emerita of History as well as President Emerita. She taught in the History department from 1958 to 1979, and was president of the College from 1979 to 1986.

Sister Emmannel Renner

For photos of Renner House and a brief article, see the Autumn 2005 issue of St. Benedict’s Magazine, p. 20-21: Saint Benedict's Magazine Autumn 2005


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Special thanks to Ariel Smelter '12 for drafting this text.