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Eisner Administration Building
Historical Overview
The Administration Building has served as the architectural symbol of Emmanuel College for more than 100 years. Designed by famed architectural firm Maginnis & Walsh, it was the only building on campus for the first 30 years of the College's existence. It opened in 1916 and served as a convent for the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur and as the location for Notre Dame Academy. The convent had rooms for each nun, a great room, a reception area that is now the Fenway Room, kitchen, first aid area, porch, and an area for laundry. The area that serverd as the Academy contained a gymnasium, a lunch room, a music hall, laboratories, a library, and classrooms.
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In 1919, Emmanuel College was established in the Administration Building. From 1919 to 1932, the Notre Dame Academy and Emmanuel College occupied the Administration Building. In the early 1930s, the College sought admittance into the accrediting body, known as the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). To accomplish this several changes had to be made to its training programs and physical facilities. The first step in this process was to separate Emmanuel College from Notre Dame Academy, a feat that was accomplished in 1931 when the Academy moved to the former Archbishops’ residence on Granby Street. The second step in this process was accomplished through the purchase of new science hardware to improve the lab facilities on campus. The final step in this process was to expand the library and provide the librarians with graduate certificates in library science. Although these changes required a $60,000 investment they aided in the College’s approval as a member of NEASC in 1932.
The period c.1945-1947 was a time when the College began a process of expansion to accommodate a growing student population, a program that became known as “Emmanuel of Tomorrow.” It began with the construction of Alumnae Hall (1949) that was to serve as the new science facility on campus and was soon followed by: the student union, Marian Hall (1954), St. James Hall (c. 1957, d. 2007), Julie Hall (c. 1958, d. 2016), St. Ann Hall (1962), Loretto Hall (1963), Cardinal Cushing Library (1965), and St. Joseph’s Hall (1968). This allowed space in the Administration Building to be used for faculty offices, administrative offices and classrooms until the mid-1980s, when student services were placed on the ground floor of the building after the closure of Alumnae Hall and the campus shop.
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Today, the building remains as prominent as ever. Recent renovations, completed in 2013, have ensured it will continue to serve as a bridge from the groundbreaking Emmanuel of the past to the vibrant and dynamic learning environment of the present. From the historic Chapel to the high-tech classrooms such as the Joanne DiGeronimo Migliaro '88 and Anthony Migliaro Classroom, which features dual 80-inch, high-definition LED displays, the space is aimed toward engaging students in new and innovative ways.
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In 2019, the building was named in honor of Sr. Janet Eisner, SNDdeN, '63, who served the College as a faculty member, Director of Admissions and College President. It is home to classrooms, the Art Department, student services such as Academic Advising, Campus Ministry, and the Center for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, faculty offices and meeting space, the mailroom, Campus Safety (open 24/7), and the Muddy River Café.
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Ghost Stories
The Girl in the Administration Building
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A security guard on campus tell s a strange story. Late one night, during a school vacation, he was walking across the first floor of the Administration Building, away from the auditorium and towards the Admissions office. He saw a girl walking up the stairs near Admissions. At first he was surprised because it was so late during a vacation. Then he noticed her clothing. She was wearing a very old fashioned black dress and carried books in her arms. She walked up the stairs towards him very slowly. Then, she turned left at a locked door and disappeared. The locked door she entered leads to the shaft near the chapel, which goes nowhere.
The Phantom Security Guard
Over the years, different security guards have reported seeing ,a phantom security guard in the Administration Building. This security guard was not recognized by anyone as a recent Emmanuel security guard; he was described as being dressed in an old-fashioned uniform, smoking a cigarette. Shortly after being seen, he disappeared.
The Blackout in the Art Department
Late one night, a security guard was making his rounds in the Art Department. As he was walking down the hallway, all the lights went out very suddenly and he found himself in pitch blackness. In order to get back to the main stairwell he turned around and put his left hand against the wall to follow it back in the direction from which he came. As he walked back towards the stairs, he came to a stop: he felt a wall in front of him, where he knew there was none. Closing his eyes, he said a quick prayer and when he reopened his eyes, the lights were on. He ran downstairs to ask the security guard on the third floor if the lights had gone out. The reply was no, which is odd because if the lights on the third floor were on, at least a little light should have reached the fourth floor through the stairwell.
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The Statue in the Art Department
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In the Art Department storage room there was once was a beautiful statue of the Virgin Mary. Different people had reported seeing it crying; others saw its eyes moving. Still others saw a trail of tails moving away from the statue. No one could explain the phenomenon, though once the statue was moved to the more public area of the Auditorium and door to the Nautilus Room there were no more mysterious occurrences.
