Courtesy of Fr. Michael Maher, S.J.

A year after the beginning of the new millennium, the residence at 1404 West Wisconsin Avenue continued to support members of the Jesuit community who worked in full time and part time positions at Marquette University. The community also housed others whose work was not involved with the University, but these men still served as a valuable resource for the University when a Jesuit was needed either for sacramental ministry or for an occasional invocation.

As the number of Jesuits declined, positions once held only by Jesuits gave way to lay people who filled the tasks required. After the long presidency of Fr. John Raynor (1965-1990), the office of president continued to be filled by Jesuits: Fr. Albert Di Ulio (1990-1996), Fr. Robert Wild (1996-2011), Fr. Scott Pilarz (2011-2013) and then an interim presidency of saw the return of Fr. Wild (2013-2014). In 2014 The board of Trustees elected the first lay president, Dr. Michael Lovel. For the first time in the history of Marquette, the president of the University was no longer eating his scrambled eggs and toast in the Jesuit residence.

Although the transition to a lay presidency identified a new phase in the history of Marquette, this transition did not create distrust or disillusion among the Jesuits as to the ability of Marquette University to fulfill its educational mission. In many ways the changes of governance established by separate incorporation set the Society of Jesus in general and the Jesuits at Marquette on a path that required conversation and collaboration which occurred in 1970. As mentioned in the part of this essay written by Fr. Paul Prucha, separate incorporation established the necessity for conversation among many groups and their representatives. The Jesuit residence frequently was the location for many of these conversations. Lay administrators may not have eaten their eggs and toast in the Jesuit residence, but they were frequently guests at lunch and dinner with the topic of conversation centering on the best means of continuing the Catholic and Jesuit identity of the University.

As the years progressed, this conversation became more one-sided, with the decreasing number of Jesuits active in the University and the subsequent increase of lay leadership. Future historians may theorize along two lines as to why this decrease in the number of Jesuits occurred. Did the decline in vocations occur because the very idea of religious vocation was called into question or, did the successful replacement of a lay person when a Jesuit was not available render the need of a Jesuit fulfilling certain functions no longer necessary? Whatever the reason, the fact of diminishment became all too real. In 2001 there were 30 Jesuits who identified themselves as having full or part time work at the University. Twenty-two years later, the number had fallen to 17 who have some affiliation with the University. Although the number of Jesuits at the University has diminished, the members of the Board of Trustees never diminished their desire to support an active Jesuit community and provide them with a suitable place to live. The Board recognized the need for a residence that supported the community and to serve as an attractive residence for Jesuits interested in working at the University.</p?

By the early years of the twenty-first century the former Stratford Arms, the hotel converted to Heraty Hall, and then the Jesuit residence in 1971 was beginning to show some strain. Plumbing problems, an elevator in constant need of repair, and various other ailments of an aging building instigated a discussion for the need for a new or different building. There were strong arguments on both sides concerning the merits of moving or staying. On October 27, 2013, a pipe burst caused extensive damage to the building and a major asbestos abatement forced the evacuation of several residents. With the possibility of further incidents, the conversation for new housing took on a more serious and focused direction. In addition to an aging building, the numbers of Jesuits decreased to the point where the many rooms of the old Stratford arms did not fit the community's needs. Though, to its the credit, the former hotel continued its tradition of hospitality by housing a multitude of visiting Jesuits. It was a rare occasion if a traveling Jesuit could not find a welcome at “1404”, the address and the common name for the community building among Jesuits throughout the country.

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