“From the Archives” — Saint Mary Parish School

A plaque recently installed at the Basilica’s parking lot at the corner of Wolfe and South Royal Streets commemorates Saint Mary Parish School, which occupied that location from 1869 through 1950. Along with illustrative photos, the plaque text reads:

This was the site of Saint Mary’s parish school from 1869 to 1950. Originally St. Mary’s Hall, the building was erected in 1858 under the pastorate of Reverend Peter Kroes, S.J., by the Young Catholics’ Friend Society. The two story brick building was surmounted by a cupola with a bell and topped with a cross. It was designed as a meeting and event space for the Society, although original plans also include rooms intended for school use. These classrooms were large 30 x 28-ft spaces ventilated with flues and heated with pot-bellied stoves. In 1869 St. Mary’s Hall was converted into a parochial school that offered free education. This was the first parish-operated school of Saint Mary, although not the first school to be associated with the church. Saint Mary Pastor Father John Smith, S.J., had opened two schools in the 1830s: St. John’s Academy, for boys, on the northwest corner of Royal and Duke Streets, and the Academy for Young Ladies, on the corner of Duke and Fairfax Streets, run by the Sisters of Charity. Both schools closed by 1841. Classes at Saint Mary Parish School were taught by the Sisters of the Holy Cross, who also administered Saint Mary Academy, a private, all-girls school associated with the parish, located on North Fairfax Street. Sunday school classes for Saint Mary Black parishioners were held in the church until a separate, dedicated school was built in 1885 at the northeast corner of Royal and Wilkes Streets to offer full-time, free education. These classes were also taught by the Sisters of the Holy Cross. By the early 1930s, the size of the former St. Mary’s Hall had become insufficient to cope with increased enrollment, and classroom space was added to the Saint Mary Lyceum on Duke Street. In March 1950 the ever-growing school was relocated to a newly constructed building at the corner of Green and Royal Streets, adjacent to the Saint Mary Cemetery.

Today it is the site of The Basilica School of Saint Mary.

— Virginia Nyce, Archival Manager