Friends of St. Mary's 

 

St. Mary’s campus is an icon of history and hope. The church has been a distinctive landmark on Dubuque’s skyline since 1867, and is a towering reminder of the heritage and legacy of the downtown community. 

Now, after 150 years and renamed Steeple Square, the downtown Dubuque stronghold is poised to undergo a community-centered transformation that will renew and carry on the legacy of community enrichment. 

In 2013, a group of concerned and committed local leaders came together in order to preserve this vital cornerstone of Dubuque history and architecture for the community. This includes developing a long-range plan for the remaining buildings on the campus: the church, rectory and school.

Steeple Square will work in partnership with other organizations to develop housing, educational and training programs to assist the economically and socially disconnected and to to incorporate them into its re-purposing of a closed historic church; thus reconstituting and reclaiming a critical community asset that will assist in the revitalization of a historic neighborhood and the restoration of the lives of its residents.

Today Steeple Square supporters are poised to begin the much-anticipated revitalization. 

 

MISSION

Steeple Square’s mission is to serve as a collaborative, multi-tenant, inclusive center, providing an attractive hub for social life and community support while preserving its historic fabric and features. The repurposed campus will be an agent for positive change and a catalyst for restoring lives, citizen engagement, neighborhood empowerment and community vibrancy.