历史

As the parish grew in Philadelphia the Jesuits of the Maryland Province decided to create 圣若瑟书院 设有筹备部为公众服务.

On 1851年9月15日在美国，95名学生欢迎牧师. Felix Barbelin, S.J. the first school’s first President, for their first day of class beginning with mass at 8 a.m. 下午5点结束.m. 的re were strict regulations that the students had to follow as members of the St. 约瑟的社区. 的 students were to be polite with their teachers and friendly with their classmates. 的 regulations stressed neatness and directed the students in their hairstyles, 衣服, 以及他们办公桌的状态. 的re were strict rules and the students were informed that study should occur from 6-8 p.m. 每天晚上6-7点.m. 在他们每天到校之前.

Economic factors impacted the College/Prep attendance significantly in the late 1850s causing the College to cease operations from 1861 to 1889 but the Preparatory department continued in some form.

的 Gesu parish supported the Jesuits who ran the college and rapid growth pushed the student body to 25 in the College and 144 in the Prep in 1893. 的 original structure became inadequate, but had been designed for future expansion. A corner building was built in front of the church with an expanded roof and new classrooms. 这座新大楼经得起考验 1899年有280名学生. This was a large enough number to begin planning the separation of the College division and the Preparatory department.

As soon as the Jesuits were moving into their new residence at the corner of 18th and Thompson, the old Stiles Street residence was converted into a chapel and classrooms with a third floor gym. 的 growth of the student population provided the impetus to complete the block of building in 1923 as Villiger Hall for the College division.

在一月一个寒风凛冽的夜晚，历史上的圣. 约瑟夫的预科学校突然变了. 早上5点20分发生了一场火灾.m. 在斯泰尔斯街大楼的地下室. 的 fire was probably sparked by an electrical problem and initially the firemen thought they had it under control. 然而, soon the fire raged out of control and turned into 8-alarms with two hundred firemen fighting the blaze. 的 fire quickly engulfed the building and the freezing cold air turned the firefighter's water to ice. Half of the block was a total loss and so dangerous that demolition was begun immediately. 的 Prep’s hallmark marble staircase was snow covered and icicles hung from the ceilings.

幸运的是, the Jesuits rushed to the Thompson Street building and closed the fire doors, which saved what is now the Gesu School and important records and files in the Principal's office. Those doors are still visible under the stucco on the Gesu school building next to the facade of the Kelly Fieldhouse.

的 fire razed two-thirds of the Prep building, but students were not out of class long. 尽管清理和拆除工作仍在继续, classes 打开 a week after the fire using every square inch of Villiger Hall on Thompson Street. 乐队在空水池里练习, 自助餐厅和走廊的尽头被改成了教室, 耶稣女修道院闲置的教室被用作预备班. 不久，建一所新学校的计划开始了.

的 first academic expansion of the school since its rebuilding after the fire in 1966. 从2005年到2009年，预备学校筹集了3000万美元翻新耶稣会会堂和 Sauter餐厅， a 100,000平方英尺的项目增加了新教室, 艺术的房间, 办公空间, 改善餐饮设施. 在三位校长的领导下，牧师. 布鲁斯·米. 等候,年代.J,牧师. 威廉J. 拜伦,年代.J. 45年，牧师. 乔治•布什(George W. 钻,年代.J. ’59, 预备学校现在自吹自擂, 明亮的, 和开放的空间，以及伊格那丢一生中的里程碑之旅.