Located near downtown, Frogtown and the Rondo neighborhood, it was a prominent school for Saint Paul's black students.

Created in response to a need for graduating students to directly enter the workforce of a rapidly industrializing United States, the school was recognized as the "first high school in the Upper Midwest to combine manual training with traditional academic curricula" for its first twenty years of operation (1896–1916).

[2] Land was purchased in 1907 for the new Mechanic Arts High School building, and construction was completed in 1911.

The building was next used to house the Open School as well as various learning centers developed to further integrate the student populous.

The M Club, the schools' athletic lettermen alumni association, still meets annually, and has awarded scholarships to local-area students for the past 70 years.