In 2002, when Maryknoll reorganized its vocation and formation programs, the formation studies were moved from Maryknoll, New York to Chicago so that students could participate in the ministry program of the Chicago Theological Union. This apartment house, about 100 years old and in poor condition, was purchased as a residence for the students and the formation staff who would live with them. The Hyde Park area of Chicago was chosen because it is in walking distance of the University of Chicago where some students are in an undergraduate program and others are in ministry formation programs.
The Hyde Park area is a beautiful old section of Chicago, with just Washington Park between the street and Lake Michigan. The house itself consists of eight apartments which have been divided and now provide rooms for the students and staff and offices for the Maryknoll Promotions and Formation departments.