[citation needed] Constructed between 1905 and 1907,[2] the building that housed Cooley located at Sedgwick Avenue and Division Street was the original location for Albert G. Lane Manual Training High School (now known as Lane Tech College Prep), a then all boys vocational school which opened the following year.

Washburne occupied the building until the neighborhood's population grew to record high numbers.

Members of the Lincoln Park Conservation Association also rejected the proposal, citing differences within Cooley and Waller school communities.

[6] In October 1969, The school board had voted to phase out Cooley once the new vocational annex on Waller campus was completed.

[8] After the co-location plan was canceled, The board still voted to replace Cooley's building which was described as "beyond deplorable" by 1975.

[9] Cooley competed in the Chicago Public League (CPL) and was a member of the Illinois High School Association (IHSA).

[12] On September 22, 1969, 17-year-old junior Johnnie Veal was attacked in the school's basement, resulting in his throat being slashed.

The R&B group Boyz II Men named their first album Cooleyhighharmony as an homage to the school.