It was built from 1920 to 1922 as the entire city relocated two miles (3 km) south to make way for the expanding Hull–Rust–Mahoning Mine.

The lavish Tudor Revival building was constructed at a cost of about $3.9 million (equivalent to $59,316,279 in 2023), becoming known as the "castle in the woods" and—thanks to its polished brass fixtures—the "school with the golden doorknobs".

[9] The school was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 for its state-level significance in the themes of architecture, education, industry, and politics/government.

[10] It was nominated for its sumptuous Jacobethan architecture and association with the mutual desire by corporations and residents for improved public education as the mining industry mechanized.

Although the fire was extinguished before it reached the original building, a significant amount of smoke damage had occurred.