Old Monticello Women’s College

Founded by Benjamin Godfrey, a wealthy New England minister in 1838, Monticello Women’s College lasted until 1971, when it closed in a wave of all-female college closings. The current buildings were constructed in august Romanesque Revival style in 1890, until two years after the original buildings’ destruction in a great fire. A foundation now maintains the memory of this college, as the buildings are now part of the Lewis and Clark Community College campus.

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2 Comments Add yours

  1. Tom Maher - Kirkwood MO says:

    Great photos (what’s new?) of an impressive building!
    I’d forgotten about Monticello. My impression back in the ’50s is that it was more of a “finishing school” than one of “higher learning.” Kinda like how Stephens College in Columbia was also regarded (I understand it has morphed into something much more academically-oriented now). The old Christian College, also in Columbia was in a similarly-regarded position – although it has undergone a renaissance similar to Stephens, emerging as Columbia College with a similar 4-year program..

  2. PM says:

    My great-grandmother attended Monticello in the 1916-1920 timeframe and she did refer to it as a finishing school.

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