History

 

In August of 1861, six Christian Brothers from New York and Montreal arrived in Buffalo and settled at 187 Terrace Street. Brother Crispian, Director of this first Christian Brothers' community in Buffalo, Brother Pompian (Sub-Director), Brothers Demedrian, Ptolemy, Benedict and one Brother whose religious name is unknown had come to the city in response to Bishop Timon's urgent plea for assistance in educating the Catholic youth of Buffalo.

The first building in which the Brothers taught was located opposite Union Terrace, which at that time was a beautiful park. The Free School was located on the first floor of the building, the Academy on the second floor, and the Brothers dormitory on the third floor. This building, later known as "Old Cathedral Hall," was located at 1 Delaware Avenue.

In 1893, for what they knew would be a temporary stay, the Brothers rented a two-story brick building at 473 Prospect Avenue near Jersey Street which housed about fifty pupils during each of the four years the school occupied it.  

In 1897, the Brothers purchased property at 1238 Main Street near Bryant, which was known as both "General Riley's Estate" (after the first owner) and the "Cobb Mansion" (after the most recent resident). Within a short time, because of its central and convenient location, as well as the excellent reputation of the Brothers as teachers, the school began to prosper.

In 1916, 29 students graduated from St. Joe's. During the period following World War I, numbers increased rapidly. At about this same time, there began to be talk about a new building farther from the center of the city, perhaps "near Kenmore or Tonawanda."  Definite steps were taken toward realizing that goal in 1924 when ten acres of land on Kenmore Avenue in the Town of Tonawanda was purchased. Building on Kenmore Avenue, however, was delayed by inadequate transportation to the northern parts of the city, the national depression of 1929 and World War II and its aftermath.

In 1945, plans were again taken up for the "new St. Joe's" on Kenmore Avenue. Ground was broken at the new location on March 1, 1949 and on October 2 of that year, the cornerstone was blessed by Bishop John O'Hara. The first classes were held in the new building on April 19, 1950. In the years to follow, the new facility allowed for increases in both the size of the student body and the number of faculty members. The new building was dedicated on May 14, 1950.  

Due to increased enrollment, a decision was made to lease space. Under principal Brother A. Victor Hickey, St. Joe's leased classrooms from the Evangelical Covenant Church at Kenmore and Harvest Avenues, for use as the "freshman annex." Classes were first held in the annex in the 1971-72 academic year. Eventually, the annex came to be popularly known as the "Freshman Building," with 845 Kenmore referred to as the "Main Building."  

To help continue St. Joe's tradition of academic excellence, the chemistry and biology science laboratories were totally renovated and a new physics laboratory added during the summer of 1985. By this time, it had been decided that 845 Kenmore Avenue was still an excellent location for the school, but it simply could not continue to ideally meet the needs of a student enrollment well in excess of 800 in a building designed for 550. The decision was made to build an addition to the school. A three-phase "master plan" was unveiled that would add classroom and office space in the first phase, an enlarged cafeteria in the second, and additional gymnasium facilities in the third. The new facility provided for fourteen classrooms, a computer laboratory, a glass-enclosed library, a two-story student commons area, a one hundred-seat lecture room, office space for school administrative and academic departments, and reception/ conference areas. The Academic Center enabled all school programs to be conducted on the main campus, eliminating the use of the Freshman Building.

In 2000-2001 a further renovation occurred within the building that included the addition of a new Fine Arts Wing, an auxiliary gymnasium, new cafeteria, graphics lab, bookstore, nurse’s office, athletics field house and additional classroom space.

The St. Joseph's tradition of excellence has now endured for almost a century and a half, not because of buildings or dollars, but because of people -- faculty, students, alumni, friends -- who have believed, like those first six Brothers who came to Buffalo in 1861, in the value of St. Joe's and have given of themselves to see it prosper.