Built in 1894 as a large Romanesque/Gothic Revival building, it served the Pittsburgh Public Schools until its closure in 1976.

Fifth Avenue was the first fireproof school in Pennsylvania and was home to the Alpha chapter of the National Honor Society.

Fifth Avenue was a dominant force in city sports, winning the state title in its last year open for basketball.

[5] Numerous components of the structure, such as plaster ceilings in common areas, were saved, preserved, or reused in the renovations.

[4] Among the school's notable alumni are former Mayor of Pittsburgh Sophie Masloff, Dapper Dan Charities founder and former Pittsburgh Post-Gazette sports editor Al Abrams, and forensic pathologist Cyril Wecht, who served as Coroner (later Medical Examiner) and a Commissioner of Allegheny County.