Malvern Prep Opens Riley Hall

MALVERN, PA —A decade of planning culminated Monday when Malvern Preparatory School opened Riley Hall- the primary academic building for the Howley Middle School program for sixth to eighth grade.

“Today, the official opening of Riley Hall, at the start of the 23-24 academic year is an important moment in Malvern’s history - one that dates back to 1842,” Patrick Sillup, head of school, said during a ribbon cutting ceremony.

Sillup said during the last decade the administrators were thinking, designing, and iterating ideas for an optimal middle school learning environment.

“This space will serve as the center of middle school life at Malvern Prep," Sillup continued. "I’m confident you will find these spaces to be both inspirational and functional as well as incredibly inviting - something we take great pride in as an Augustinian Community.”

The renovation of Riley Hall was made possible thanks to a $4 million gift from parents, Brian Riley, and his wife, Barbara, P’21’26. The parents attended the ceremony with their sons, Jack, class of 2021, and Finn, class of 2026.

“Malvern has been a special place for our sons and their friends,” Jack Riley said during the ceremony in which his son, Finn cut the ribbon.

“We are grateful to be Malvern parents and to be accepted into the Malvern Community - and so we wanted to extend this gift to Malvern from our family, as a thank you,” Finn continued.

“It is our sincere hope that the brotherhood, to which you belong, strives and grows and strengthens for decades to come.”

The Rev. Robert Hagan, O.S.A., Prior of the Province of St. Thomas of Villanovan performed a blessing on Riley Hall.

Constructed in 1923, Riley Hall was one of the first buildings on Malvern Prep’s Warren Avenue campus after the school relocated from the campus of Villanova University in 1922.

The building skirts the hub of campus life, the Quad, and will soon be connected to Maggitti Pavilion.

Maggitti Pavilion will become the center for college counseling, learning support, and administration on Malvern Prep’s campus. Construction for that project will begin in the fall of 2023.