Loretto Academy (Chicago)

Loretto Academy of the Immaculate Conception in Woodlawn-Chicago is a former Catholic high school for girls in Chicago's Woodlawn neighborhood.[1]

Loretto Academy
Loretto Academy, c. 1910
Address
Map
1447 E. 65th Street

,
United States
Coordinates41°46′36.4″N 87°35′21.8″W / 41.776778°N 87.589389°W / 41.776778; -87.589389
Information
Religious affiliation(s)Roman Catholic
EstablishedAugust 1906
Closed1972
AuthorityArchdiocese of Chicago
OversightInstitute of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Campus typeUrban

History

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The school was established by the Loreto Sisters and opened in August 1906.[1] The school admitted its first African-American students in 1949.[2] As Woodlawn's demographics changed in the 1950s, the school's did as well.[3] By 1960, it had only ten Euro-American students and by the early 1970s it had a completely African-American student body.[3][2] The school closed in 1972.[2] The building was sold to the Woodlawn Community Development Corporation and served as substance abuse treatment center called Entry House.[1][4][5] Entry House closed in 2012,[5] and the building was sold at a foreclosure auction on October 28, 2019.[6] It was included in Preservation Chicago's 7 Most Endangered list in 2019.[1]

References

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