Lyons Female College/Our Lady of Angels Seminary

Lyons Female College/Our Lady of Angels Seminary (North Side Church of God), 407 22nd Avenue North; 1858.With spacious grounds and beautiful siting, the complex is an excellent example of early academic architecture in Iowa. The original building, with its brick massing and unique, centrally located cupola and dome, is an exceptional example of pre-Civil War institutional building. Highly eclectic in design, this building combines features of the Gothic Revival and Italianate Styles. The southern-most building of brick is a combination of Romanesque and Queen Anne stylistic features.The original building is 3 ½ stories high and has a roof cupola topped with a bulbous-style dome. This brick building was expanded with matching additions extending to the north, south, and west. The original porch on the east was replaced by a new one. The original wood of the pediments. Cupola, and eaves of the gable roof have been clad over with aluminum siding and trim. The original pointed arched windows on the cupola have been altered.The 2 ½ story brick building on the south replaced an earlier two-story Gothic Revival Style building. The boiler plant and secondary building are to the rear (west) of the original building. In August 1979, an educational building was under construction close by and to the north of the original building. It was reported that the interiors of the original building are being gutted and demolished piecemeal by the congregation members. This is apparently being done in advance of total clearance of the site for a new church.The complex, of architectural and historical significance, dates to 1858. The large "original" building, flanked by two smaller ones, comprised the campus of the Lyons Female College, a Presbyterian school dedicated and opened in September 15, 1858; it was the first institution of higher learning in Clinton County. The school was sold in September 1872 to the Sisters of Charity, a Catholic order in Clinton headed by Sister Mary Anastasia. Out Lady of Angels Academy, a boarding school, was dedicated on October 2, 1872. In 1966, the school was closed and the premises were vacated. The North Side Church of God purchased the property in 1973 and have indicated that the existing buildings are not suitable for their needs. Unfortunately, this important architectural grouping may not remain much longer.