Photos of the White House Retreat, in Oakville, MIssouri

Here are photos of the White House Retreat, in Oakville, Missouri. It overlooks the Mississippi River, near the far southern tip of Saint Louis County, and is about 20 highway miles southwest of downtown Saint Louis, Missouri.



The White House Retreat is owned by the Society of Jesus, and dates from 1922. It is one of 36 retreat houses owned by the Jesuits in the United States.



The Retreat chapel, in the Gothic style.



The architects of the White House Retreat were Patrick M. O'Meara and James B. Hills. They also designed the Villa Duchesne School (1929), in Frontenac, Missouri; Saint George's Church (1928), in Affton, Missouri; Saint James the Greater Church (1927), in Saint Louis; and the Discalced Carmelite Monastery in Saint Louis County, and other churches and buildings in Saint Louis and elsewhere in the Midwest. They were authors of the book "Catholic Churches and Institutions", dating from 1928.



A long Way of the Cross extends south from the buildings, overlooking the river.



Snyder Hall.



Monaghan Hall.











Fatima shrine.



Ice flows down the Mississippi River below the Retreat House.

The Retreat built on a bluff about 150 feet above the banks of the river. The bluffs opposite are in the State of Illinois, and are about 3-1/2 miles from here.

The river is at a very low level in this photo, and a large sand bar is visible on this side of the stream; during extreme flooding, the river extends all the way across the valley, from bluff to bluff.

Address:
7400 Christopher Drive
Oakville, Missouri 63129