History
SLUH was founded in 1818 by the bishop of St. Louis, Bishop Dubourg, as a Latin school for boys known as St. Louis Academy. Classes were held in a one-story house owned by Madame Alvarez on the northwest corner of Third and Market Street. It quickly grew to include a college division, and the college was granted university status in 1832. The high school retained the identity of St. Louis Academy on the university campus until 1924 when it moved to its own facilities and incorporated separately under the name of St. Louis University High School. The school's new home, on Oakland Avenue, was a gift of Anna Backer in memory of her late husband and alumnus George Backer. That facility, also known as Backer Memorial, has grown considerably over the years and remains the school's home. SLUH has been successful in its city location while many other private high schools have followed population moves to the western suburbs.
In 1984, Paul Owens became the school's first lay principal, and in 2005, David J. Laughlin was hired as the school's first lay president.
Read more about this topic: St. Louis University High School
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