Providence Academy Interior Rehabilitation Documentation, Recommendations, and Priorities Study, Vancouver, Washington

Providence Academy is one of 29 institutions, schools, and hospitals founded and designed by Mother Joseph of the Scared Heart during her 45 years of service to the Sisters of Providence and in communities in and beyond the Northwest. The Academy, considered Mother Joseph's most important work, is one of only two remaining buildings that showcase her design and construction expertise, which were rare skills for a woman of her time.

After decades of housing orphans and serving as a place for educational opportunities for them and other students, the Academy was serving solely as a school when closed in 1966. Now owned and operated by the Historic Trust, the Academy functions as office and community event space, and offers free public tours and interpretive exhibits. A $4,300 grant from the National Trust Preservation Fund will inform recommendations for the interior rehabilitation of Providence Academy and help develop a fundraising plan to carry out the work.