Anniversaries of St. Augustine and St. Edward

Recently, two schools in Lakewood celebrated milestones. St. Edward High School reached its 50th year and St. Augustine Academy celebrated its 75th anniversary. Both schools have added greatly to the diverse and interesting history of Lakewood.

St. Ed’s was founded as an educational facility of the Holy Cross Order of Notre Dame, Indiana. Construction on the school at Nicholson and Detroit began in 1949 when Cleveland Archbishop Edward F. Hoban evinced an interest in opening a Catholic high school in Lakewood. When the school opened, the new administration faced a flood of applications. Br. John William wrote, “I already have a headache in arranging for admittance of the boys. We are going to have to turn away fifty to one hundred. I hate to do it, but there is no choice right now.” The 159 students of the first graduating class in 1953, each paying less than $100 a year, spent their first two years studying at the former St. Theresa'’ Academy on Detroit at Robinwood, while St. Ed’s was being built. Classes moved into the new $1.5 million school building in September of 1951.

During that first year the brothers established a curriculum, a football team, a band and a newspaper, but it wasn’t until October that the school had a name. On October 13, the feast of St. Edward the Confessor, Superintendent of Catholic schools Msgr. Clarence Elwell publicly announced that the school would be named St. Edward High School in honor of Bishop Edward F. Hoban. Originally, most of St. Ed’s teachers were Holy Cross brothers. Today there are also a substantial number of lay persons on the faculty. The brothers live on the grounds, in a home attached to the school.

The Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine, looking for a new motherhouse, moved into a summer home at 14898 Lake Ave., immediately west of what is now Lakewood Park. The three-story frame dwelling previously had been occupied by Marcus A. Hanna, the renowned Cleveland politician who later became a US senator. The sisters lived there until a brick convent building was opened on the grounds in 1892. The Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine, established in Cleveland in 1851 to conduct health and social services in the diocese, staffed and ran the new St. Vincent Charity Hospital as well as a boys' orphanage. The Sisters faced many hardships upon their arrival to their remote site in Lakewood, but their tenuous foothold was strengthened by proceeds from a successful orchard festival held by the order. The money helped build a structure with a dormitory, hospital quarters for sick children and new laundry and kitchen facilities.

The sisters began high-school instruction for girls as early as 1921, and the initial enrolment was 54 pupils. In 1925, it was decided that an official school should be established and construction began immediately. Before the end of the year, this became St. Augustine Academy. Early students of St. Augustine included elementary students; in fact, when the academy opened its doors in September 1925 records indicate that only boys were enrolled in the elementary classes (girls were not included in the elementary classes until 1939). Until June 1944, when the elementary school closed, St. Augustine general enrollment included both boys and girls. St Augustine continues to provide a wonderful high school education to young ladies to this day.

Mazie Adams
Lakewood Historical Society Newsletter 2/2001

Articles have appeared in the Lakewood Historical Society Newsletter.