Our Mission:

The Cardinal Ritter Birthplace Foundation aims to renovate the highly endangered birthplace and childhood home of Cardinal Joseph Elmer Ritter in New Albany, Indiana.

Cardinal Ritter's birthplace has sadly been neglected. The once grand house served three generations of the Ritter family as both their home and the Ritter Bakery.

Recently threatened with demolition due to its neglected condition, cardinal Ritter;s boyhood home is an important tangible link to one of the most influential American Roman Catholic leaders of the 20th century.

Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana purchased the house in 2002 to keep it from being torn down. Historic Landmarks has placed restrictive covenants on the property's deed, ensuring any exterior renovation must be in keeping with the building's history.

Historic Landmarks is seeking a partnership with the New Albany Knights of Columbus and the Roman Catholic community to develop the Ritter house into a dynamic community center that can provide a range of social services to residents both within the immediate neighborhood and the greater community.

Funds are being sought to stabilize and restore the exterior of this landmark property to ensure its survival. Additional funds are also sought to ensure the building's future.

Cardinal Ritter's brother Carl, manager of the Ritter Bakery in 1935.

The house saw a generation of Ritter children grow up to be three doctors, a nun, a businessman, and, of course, the youngest (and only Hoosier) Cardinal in Catholic church history.