LAFAYETTE, Ind. — In an effort to memorialize the former sites of St. Francis High School and the previous St. Elizabeth School of Nursing building, the Franciscan Health Foundation is campaigning to raise funds to create the St. Elizabeth Garden.
While the St. Elizabeth School of Nursing building was razed in 2019, the accompanying parking garage, located at corner of 16th and Tippecanoe streets, and connecting skywalk to the Franciscan Health Lafayette Central campus began making it’s way down mid-May, according to a news release.
Jennifer Eberly, director of development for the Franciscan Health Foundation, said the construction of a garden is an effort to pay homage to the students, faculty and alumni who utilized the buildings for nearly a century.
The campaign to raise funds for the garden is currently 60% of the way to its $300,000 goal, Eberly said, as the foundation will support the project entirely through donated funds. The plan for the garden will be to begin construction and landscaping in the spring of 2025, giving the ground time to settle before adding structures and sidewalks.
Opportunities to sponsor engraved pavers, benches or statues are available to the public, which will occupy the garden among an array of perennials and trees.
“This will be an area where people can relax, study and reflect, and our goal is to honor the history here,” Eberly said.
The last class of graduates from St. Francis High School received their diplomas in 1957, Eberly explained. While the campus closed in 1955 due to state restrictions regarding collegiate courses and high school classes being offered in the same building, the final graduating classes of the all-girls Catholic high school were required to finish their studies off-site in area Catholic churches.
“We wanted this to be more than a grassy knoll — it’s creating a space to walk and exercise, not just for our faculty and staff, but the community, too,” Eberly said. “And we know there are many alumni of the St. Francis High School who will be interested in this effort as well.”
Those interested in contributing to sponsorship of an item, such as engraved pavers, trees, benches or statues, in the St. Elizabeth Garden can contact Eberly at 765-423-6812 or via email at jennifer.eberly@franciscanalliance.org. For more information about the garden and fundraising efforts, go to https://steson.org/donate.
Jillian Ellison is a reporter for the Journal and Courier. She can be reached via email at jellison@gannett.com. Follow her on X at @ellison_writes.