[1] The McCleary School was built in 1900–02 by the Mount Albion Sub-District, the local educational board serving the 18th Ward or present-day Upper Lawrenceville, Stanton Heights, and Morningside.

Infighting and mismanagement by the Mount Albion school board caused major schedule and budget overruns, and the board ended up having to levy additional taxes to finish the project.

The final cost of the building was about $130,000, which was almost four times the original budget, and construction dragged on for two more years even though the school was said to be "nearly complete" in June, 1900.

As a result of widespread ill will toward the project among the general public, the school opened without any fanfare on April 7, 1902, in what the Pittsburgh Press called "the quietest opening of a school building the city has ever seen.

The main entrance, which sits slightly below street level, is set inside a large semicircular arch and accentuated with a cornice, pilasters, and spandrels ornamented with floral motifs.