ST. LOUIS COUNTY — A Colorado-based Catholic graduate school and media organization is pursuing one of the most famous estates in ºüÀêÊÓƵ County after Boeing put the property up for sale.
plans to expand its current campus near Denver with the purchase of the Boeing Leadership Center, a 286-acre property overlooking the Missouri River previously owned by the Desloge family. While a sales price has not been listed, the property just north of Florissant is appraised at $28.8 million, according to the ºüÀêÊÓƵ County assessor.
Representatives for Boeing declined to comment.
The Augustine Institute operates a 500-student graduate school of theology as well as Catholic school curriculum and , a streaming service for religious content. The organization’s goal of relocating to ºüÀêÊÓƵ County is reportedly to increase enrollment in the graduate school and offer student housing.
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The Desloge estate “is one of many the Augustine Institute has looked at as they continue to discern expanding their current campus,†said spokeswoman Kate Sell of Mission Advancement Partners.
Tim Gray, president of the Augustine Institute, also serves on the board of directors of , a Catholic conservative think tank.
Gray canceled an interview Monday with the Post-Dispatch, but told Catholic news site on Friday that he was encouraged by the Archdiocese of ºüÀêÊÓƵ to buy the property from Boeing.
The Very Rev. Chris Martin, vicar for parish mission and vitality with the Archdiocese of ºüÀêÊÓƵ, did not respond to questions about the move.
Martin told The Pillar that the Augustine Institute could help the archdiocese with evangelization, a main focus of the “All Things New†downsizing of the archdiocesan footprint amid a declining number of Catholics and priests.
The institute could also play a role in strengthening the Catholic identity of parish schools by training teachers and providing religious curriculum, Martin said in the article.
Enrollment across the 82 Catholic grade schools in the archdiocese has fallen below 65% of capacity. There are now about 19,000 students in the schools, down from 40,000 in 2000.
Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski has not revealed his findings in a review of long-term plans from the 30 smallest parish schools. Some school mergers or closures could be announced before next fall in the second phase of “All Things New.â€
Last May, Rozanski announced the closure of 35 out of 178 parishes and the merger of 15 others. Some of the closed parishes are still litigating an appeal process with the Vatican.
Dozens of parishes and schools have closed in the last few decades, particularly in north ºüÀêÊÓƵ County where the Augustine Institute is looking to move.
McDonnell Douglas Corp. bought the French country chateau known as the Vouziers mansion and surrounding woods in 1996 for $7 million. The mansion was built for Joseph Desloge in 1926 after the family made their fortune in mining and smelting in Missouri’s lead belt south of ºüÀêÊÓƵ.
Under Boeing, the property at 16805 New Halls Ferry Road became a corporate retreat and conference center. The company added an eight-story, 98,000-square-foot event center with 84 guest rooms and multiple offices among other upgrades.
Boeing shut down the property soon after the start of the pandemic in 2020 and laid off 81 Aramark employees who worked in hospitality at the center. The earlier this year by real estate firm CBRE.
Steph Kukuljan of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.