Overbrook (Dominican Campus White House)

The large white building off of Harding Ave. on the Dominican Campus of Catholic schools, now called the "White House," was a mansion named Overbrook. Built in 1913 for businessman Joseph Warner, the L-shaped brick building has been covered with stucco. In 1923, the house was bought by the St. Cecelia Congregation of the Dominican Sisters. Overbrook was rented out as a residence until 1936, when coeducational Catholic elementary Overbrook School began, operating from the house. Beginning in 1957, Overbrook served as a convent for the nuns. New buildings were added to the property in 1961 for Overbrook School, St. Cecelia Academy, and a new college, Aquinas Junior College. Overbrook was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. The White House now serves as a business and development office for all three schools.

Joseph Warner (1865-1939), the original owner of Overbrook, was a successful Nashville businessman who followed his father into the iron industry. He was born in Tennessee in 1865. His first wife, Mary Frances Duncan, died in 1894, two years after the marriage. He remarried to Lillian Black. Warner was President of Warren Iron Company, formerly Cumberland Furnace, by 1901; he was also the Manager by 1917. The firm was founded in 1899 and employed 100 men by 1920 at its hematite mines, steam power plant, and blast furnace.

Overbrook mansion was constructed for Mr. and Mrs. Warner in 1913 on a 96-acre property that was crossed by Kingfisher Creek (the "brook" in the name Overbrook). The two-story, Neo-classical style building contains over 8,700 square feet. When the Overbrook estate was first purchased by the Dominican sisters in 1923, they grazed cattle on the land while planning its future uses. The estate was just beyond the city limits at that time. There have been two additions to the house: a one-story concrete block room that was used as a chapel and an L-shaped wood frame dormitory wing from 1940.

The 83-acre "Dominican Campus" now contains three private schools independently operated by the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecelia: Overbrook School, St. Cecelia Academy, and Aquinas College. The Overbrook mansion, located near the center of the campus, is now known as the "Dominican Campus White House." The White House contains business and development functions for all three schools. The Dominican sisters first came to Nashville from St. Mary's in Ohio in 1860. Their "St. Cecelia Motherhouse" is on a hill north of downtown Nashville near Clay and N. 8th (and also is a Clio entry).

The Catholic Sisters of St. Cecelia purchased the Harding Rd. property in 1923 and began Overbrook School in 1936. Overbrook is a Catholic school for grades pre-K to 6th, located in the northeastern portion of the campus. The coeducational elementary school has 277 pupils enrolled for the 2022-2023 school year. St. Cecelia Academy lies within the southeast part of the campus. The four nuns who arrived from Ohio at the invitation of Bishop James Whelan opened the school in Nashville in October 1860. The academy relocated to the Harding Rd. campus in 1957. The private, girls' secondary school has pupils from grades seven to twelve.

Aquinas College occupies the western half of the campus. It began in 1928 as St. Cecelia Normal School, on the Motherhouse campus, to train Catholic nuns to become educators in religious schools. The school moved to the Harding Rd. Dominican Campus in 1961 and was renamed Aquinas Junior College. Education of nurses for the neighboring St. Thomas Hospital was added to the curriculum. Since 1994, the four-year, commuter school has been Aquinas College, Nashville. The Master Plan for future development at Aquinas College adds dormitories and other buildings but retains the White House in its present location.

Aquinas College. Helping Hands Provide for Nashville Homeless, Aquinas College, Nashville. March 24th, 2020. Accessed September 30th, 2022. https://www.aquinascollege.edu/helping-hands-provide-for-nashville-homeless/.

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Anonymous. The Open Hearth. Blast Furnace and Steel Plant. October 1st, 1917. 481 - 481.

Bauer Askew Architecture. Campus Masterplan, Institutional Overlay Submittal, Aquinas College, Nashville Metro Planning Commission. November 26th, 2008. Accessed September 30th, 2022. https://filetransfer.nashville.gov/portals/0/sitecontent/Planning/docs/urban/Institutional%20Overlays/aquinas.pdf.

Dennison, Shain. Paine, David. NRHP Nomination of Overbrook, Nashville, Tennessee. National Register. Washington, DC. National Park Service, 1983.

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Overbrook School. Dominican History, About Us. January 1st, 2022. Accessed September 30th, 2022. https://www.overbrook.edu/about-us/dominican-history.

Overbrook School. Admissions, At a Glance. September 1st, 2022. Accessed September 30th, 2022. https://www.overbrook.edu/admissions/at-a-glance.

People Legacy. Joseph Warner (1865-1939) buried in Mt. Olivet Cemetery located in Nashville, TN, People Legacy. Accessed September 30th, 2022. https://peoplelegacy.com/joseph_warner-0x6i3O.

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St. Cecelia Academy. Campus & Directions, About. January 1st, 2022. Accessed September 30th, 2022. https://www.stcecilia.edu/about/campus--directions.

St. Cecelia Academy. St. Cecelia Academy History and Timeline, About. January 1st, 2022. Accessed September 30th, 2022. https://www.stcecilia.edu/about/history,