Side A: In 1886, Bishop Richard Gilmour (1824-1891) of the Roman Catholic diocese of Cleveland requested that the Jesuit superior of Buffalo establish a high school on Cleveland’s west side. The Jesuits, an order of the Roman Catholic Church founded by St. Ignatius Loyola in 1540, sought to establish schools that instilled a zeal for the Gospel and a love of learning. Under the leadership of Father Henry Behren, S.J. (1815-1895), the twentieth Jesuit secondary school in the United States opened in September 1886. Named Saint Ignatius College, the school grew from 76 students in 1886 to 490 in 1924. In 1924, the College split into two separate institutions: John Carroll University, which moved to University Heights in 1935, and Saint Ignatius High School, which remains on its original site. (Continued on other side)
Side B: (Continued from other side) The original Saint Ignatius College building was a two-story wooden structure. It was replaced in 1891 by the Main Building, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1945, the school grew with the addition of St. Mary’s Catholic Church and grade school across West 30th Street. The grade school was known as the “Annex” and officially renamed Loyola Hall. The church was razed in 1968 for the Clavius Science Center at West 30th and Carroll Avenue. The school’s enrollment grew through the decades, as did the need for classrooms, performing arts and athletic facilities, and student gathering places. Annual enrollment now stands at approximately 1,500 students. The school remains a leader in excellence for Catholic high school education at the heart of Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood.
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