From the Archives – Saint Mary Lyceum

Perhaps the most iconic, well-known and well-used building associated with Saint Mary – besides the church and the school – is the Saint Mary Lyceum at 313 Duke Street. Built in 1889 by the Young Men’s Sodality, it originally was intended as a sort of “Catholic YMCA.” It featured a gymnasium, boxing ring, library and reading room, pool and billiards room, and an auditorium with a stage. The young men’s group used the space for recreation, meetings and special events. The Lyceum also was used to host periodic parish-wide events and cate- chism classes on Sunday. Women’s groups weren’t allowed to use the space until they petitioned the pastor to change that practice in 1911!

During World War I, the gymnasium was outfitted with cots and blankets, again from nearby Camp Humphreys (now Fort Belvoir), for soldiers to spend Saturday night in Old Town to attend parish social events and then go to Mass on Sunday morning. In the 1930s, rooms in the Lyceum were converted into classrooms to accommodate the grow- ing student body of Saint Mary School. In the 1940s, during World War II, the Lyceum again hosted servicemen from Camp Humphreys, as well as events sponsored by the National Catholic War Council.

The Lyceum underwent a major restoration in the 1980s because it had fallen into serious disrepair and was in danger of being torn down. Today, the Lyceum houses parish office and meeting space. It also accommodates numerous apostolate meetings and events, almost on a daily basis. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the auditorium served as overflow space for Mass-goers who could not fit in the church due to social distancing requirements.

(Adapted from Parish Archival Sources)

In 2020, to commemorate the 225th anniversary of our parish, we started “From the Archives” as a weekly feature online and in our bulletin to spotlight the history of Saint Mary’s. Due to its popularity, we are continuing the series. An archive of the features is located here.