A
History
of St.
Paul
Central
High
School
Central
High
School
was
founded
in
1866
in
response
to
student
requests.
Prior
to
1866,
there
were
no
educational
opportunities
in St.
Paul
beyond
elementary
school.
About
a
dozen
students
wished
to
continue
their
schooling,
so two
rooms
were
set
aside
for
the
"High
School"
on the
3rd
floor
of the
Franklin
School,
located
at
Broadway
and
Tenth
Streets
in
downtown
St.
Paul,
and
the
"St.
Paul
High
School"
was
formed.
Some
people
thought
that
the
school
was a
waste
of
space.
Eugene
Foster
(known
as the
"Father
of the
High
School")
was
the
principal,
and
Mrs.
H. M.
Haynes
was
the
lone
teacher.

1st
CHS
(1866)
-
Occupied
the
3rd
floor
of the
Franklin
School
on
Broadway
and
10th.
Photos
dated
1865.
The
first
graduating
class
was in
1870
and
consisted
of two
students:
one
boy
and
one
girl.
The
girl's
name
was
Fannie
Haynes
(the
daughter
of the
teacher)
and
the
boy's
name
was A.
P.
Warren.
The
first
two
diplomas
were
hand
printed
on
sheepskin.
Gradually,
the
classes
enrolled
in the
Franklin
building
became
too
large
for
the
school
to
accommodate
them,
so in
1872,
the
high
school
moved
to
rented
space
in the
Lindeke
Building
at
7th
and
Jackson
Street
where
it
occupied
the
entire
2nd
floor.
In
1872,
the
graduating
class
consisted
of 5
boys
and 7
girls.
In
1873,
the
graduating
class
originated
the
custom
of
presenting
each
senior
with a
souvenir
appropriate
to
his/her
character.
For
several
years,
a
prize
was
offered
for
the
best
essay:
a
Webster's
Unabridged
Dictionary
and a
holder
for
it.
The
President
of the
Board
of
Education
also
presented
a
prize
to the
one
having
the
highest
standing
in the
class,
usually
a fine
set of
Shakespeare's
works.
Graduation
exercises
were
held
in the
St.
Paul
Civic
Opera
House
in
1872,
until
it was
destroyed
by a
fire
in
1899.
Then
the
commencement
exercises
were
held
in the
People's
Church,
followed
by the
St.
Paul
Auditorium.
By
1879,
the
teaching
staff
had
increased
to 8
teachers
and a
principal.
The
hours
were
from 9
to 12
in the
morning
and 1
to 4
in the
afternoon.
A 15
minute
recess
was
offered
in the
morning
or
afternoon.
That
year,
the
Lindeke
building
at 7th
and
Jackson
was
finally
determined
to be
ill-suited
for a
high
school.
The
first
floor
of the
building
was
occupied
by a
dry
goods
store
and a
fresh
fish
market.
In
warm
weather,
the
aroma
from
the
fish
market
rising
to the
2nd
floor
was
nearly
unbearable.
To
make
matters
worse,
the
building
was
infested
with
rats.
A sign
over
one
door
reminded
the
pupils
this
was
their
"last
chance
for an
education."
In the
School
Board's
annual
report
of
1879,
it
declared
that
although
the
school
was a
pleasing
view
on the
outside,
the
atmosphere
inside
was
"morally,
socially
and
physically
unhealthy".
The
rooms
were
noisy,
ill-ventilated
and
sunless.
This
report
aroused
the
city
council
to
take
action,
and a
bond-raising
proposition
for a
new
high
school
was
made.
This
proposition
was
rejected
by the
voters,
but it
was
re-made
in
1881
and
was
passed
by
3,000
votes.
Work
on a
new
high
school
was
begun
immediately.
The
site
chosen
was
located
at
10th
and
Minnesota
Street.
In
1883,
this
27-room
building
at
10th
and
Minnesota
Streets
was
completed
The
first
enrollment
of the
new
school
was a
total
of 233
students.
In
1888,
a
14-room
annex
was
added
for
laboratories,
but
there
was no
money
for an
astronomical
observatory.
The
Debate
society
decided
to put
on
plays
to
make
up the
money
to pay
for
it.
Soon,
Central
was
known
as the
only
high
school
in the
United
States
to
have a
fixed
telescope
with a
lense
ground
and
polished
by the
great
telescope
maker
Alvan
Clark
(1804-1887),
whose
company
built
some
of the
largest
and
best
telescopes
in the
world,
including
the
telescope
for
the
Lowell
Observatory
in
Flagstaff,
Arizona.
The
name
of the
school
was
changed
from
"St.
Paul
High
School"
to
"Central
High
School"
in
1888.
Mechanics
Arts
High
School,
then
known
as
Manual
Training
High
School,
was
first
housed
in the
basement
of
Central.
After
the
new
high
school
at
Marshall
and
Lexington
was
built,
this
building
became
the
site
of the
"new"
Madison
Elementary
School
(replacing
the
old
one),
operating
from
1912-1929.

3rd
CHS,
1883/1888
-
Central
High
School,
10th
and
Minnesota
Streets
(later
becoming
the
new
site
of
Madison
Elementary
School).
1888
version
shown.
Soon
the
building
on
10th
and
Minnesota
Street
became
too
small,
and
the
corner
of
Marshall
and
Lexington
Avenues
was
chosen
as the
new
site.
Marshall/Lexington
building:
Working
name:
West
End
High
School
Proposed
name:
Lexington
High
School
Final
name:
Central
High
School
Architect:
Clarence
H
Johnston,
Sr. -
prominent
St.
Paul
architect,
studied
architecture
in St.
Paul
as
well
as
MIT,
and
the
Ecole
des
Beaux-Arts
in
Paris,
travelled
Europe
and
Asia.
Also
designed
houses
for
Summit
Ave,
buildings
for
the
University
of
Minn,
many
others.
Architectural
Artist:
JC
Trott
(employed
by the
architect)
Style:
Collegiate
Gothic
Land
purchased:
1909
Designed:
1909-1910
Building
Permit
Issued:
May
31,
1910
Builder:
C. Ash
Company
Construction
started:
1910
Ready
for
occupancy:
1911
(old
school
dropped
from
City
Directory)
Cornerstone
laid:
April,
1912
(building
completed)
Flagpole
installed:
1914
New
gymnasium:
1924
Stadium:
1943
Cost
for
1909-1943:
$650,000
(not
counting
maintenance,
heating,
etc)

Architect's
drawing
of
proposed
school
at
Marshall
and
Lexington

4th
CHS,
Circa
1912 -
St.
Paul
Central
High
School,
Marshall
and
Lexington
It was
at
first
thought
appropriate
to
rename
the
school
"Lexington",
however
during
the
week
before
the
laying
of the
cornerstone,
the
alumni
prevailed
upon
the
Board
to
keep
the
name
"Central".
Around
this
time,
the
Minuteman
was
adopted
as the
school's
logo,
based
on the
name
of the
colonial
militia
of the
1770's,
who
fought
the
first
battle
of
independence
of the
American
Colonies
at
Lexington,
Massachusetts
-
apparently
as a
compromise
with
those
who
wished
the
school
to be
named
"Lexington"..
The
school
at
Marshall
and
Lexington
cost
about
$650,000
to
build.
The
property
was
acquired
for
$40,000
(1909
and
1938),
and
was
built
for
$450,000,
with
additions
costing
$110,000
(1924)
and
$50,000
(stadium,
1943)..
The
original
building
was
designed
for
1,500
students,
and
was
expanded
in
1924
to
accomodate
a
larger
student
population.
The
expansion
consisted
of a
new
gymnasium
attached
to the
west
side
of the
school,
next
to the
parking
lot
and
public
tennis
courts.
One of
the
doorways
to the
new
gym
said
"Girls"
carved
in
stone
above
the
entrance,
as can
be
seen
in a
1925
Central
yearbook.
The
old
gym
was
located
above
the
auditorium