Architect John Barnes of Joliet designed the Victorian building.

As the city's population grew considerably during the construction of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal in the 1890s, an annex was placed on the school in 1896 to accommodate additional students.

The school operated until building safety issues forced its closure in 1974; at the time, it was the oldest continuously operating school in the state.

[3] The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 7, 1975.

This article about a property in Cook County, Illinois on the National Register of Historic Places is a stub.