Our Lady of the Angels School (Illinois)
Encyclopedia
Our Lady of the Angels School was a Roman Catholic elementary and middle school located in the Humboldt Park
section of Chicago
, Illinois
, United States
. Some sources describe the school as "in Austin".
The school was operated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago
and served as the parish school of the Our Lady of the Angels Church.
The school is best known for the fatal Our Lady of the Angels School Fire
, which occurred on December 1, 1958. The fire killed 92 students and 3 nuns and led to fire safety consciousness in private and public schools in the United States.
and middle school
comprising kindergarten
plus eight grades. It was located at 909 North Avers Avenue in the Humboldt Park area on the West Side of Chicago, at the intersection of West Iowa Street. The school was located in a mostly Italian-American middle class
community; the community held several second and third generation immigrant groups, including Italian Americans, Polish American
s, Irish American
s, and German American
s. Most members of the community were Roman Catholics.
The area was originally mostly Irish, but slowly became mostly Italian by 1958.
The facility was part of a large Roman Catholic parish which also consisted of a church, rectory
, convent
of the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
, and two other parish halls. The school was the educational home to approximately 1,600 students. The north wing was a two-story structure built in 1910, but remodeled several times later; the building originally consisted of a first-floor church and a second-floor school. The entire building became a school when a newer church facility opened in 1939. A south wing dating from 1939 was connected in 1951 by an annex to the north wing. The two original buildings and the annex formed a U-shape, with a narrow fenced courtyard between.
Prior to the rebuilding, OLA students attended various "replacement" schools to finish the school year while the new Our Lady of the Angels School was under construction.
Catholic schools that took some OLA students include:
Chicago Public Schools
campuses that took some OLA students include:
The modern three-story building with 32 classrooms plus a kindergarten opened in September, 1960. Donations from around the world helped to fund the new construction.
In 1989 the St. Francis of Assisi School merged into Our Lady of the Angels. In 1990 the OLA church merged into the St. Francis of Assisi Church (at 932 North Kostner). The OLA parish buildings closed as the parish staff moved to the SFA location.
At first the Nuestra America Charter High School opened in the former OLA building. Nuestra America closed in 2002. As of 2007 the building is leased to Galapagos Charter School.
Humboldt Park, Chicago
Humboldt Park is one of 77 officially designated community areas located on the northwest side of Chicago, Illinois. The Humboldt Park neighborhood is widely known for its large Puerto Rican presence...
section of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Some sources describe the school as "in Austin".
The school was operated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago
The Archdiocese of Chicago was established as a diocese in 1843 and as an Archdiocese in 1880. It serves more than 2.3 million Catholics in Cook and Lake counties in Northeastern Illinois, a geographic area of 1,411 square miles. The Archdiocese is divided into six vicariates and 31 deaneries...
and served as the parish school of the Our Lady of the Angels Church.
The school is best known for the fatal Our Lady of the Angels School Fire
Our Lady of the Angels School Fire
The Our Lady of the Angels School Fire broke out shortly before classes were to be dismissed on December 1, 1958, at the foot of a stairway in the Our Lady of the Angels School in Chicago, Illinois. The elementary school was operated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago...
, which occurred on December 1, 1958. The fire killed 92 students and 3 nuns and led to fire safety consciousness in private and public schools in the United States.
History prior to the 1958 fire
Our Lady of the Angels was an elementaryElementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
and middle school
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
comprising kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
plus eight grades. It was located at 909 North Avers Avenue in the Humboldt Park area on the West Side of Chicago, at the intersection of West Iowa Street. The school was located in a mostly Italian-American middle class
Middle class
The middle class is any class of people in the middle of a societal hierarchy. In Weberian socio-economic terms, the middle class is the broad group of people in contemporary society who fall socio-economically between the working class and upper class....
community; the community held several second and third generation immigrant groups, including Italian Americans, Polish American
Polish American
A Polish American , is a citizen of the United States of Polish descent. There are an estimated 10 million Polish Americans, representing about 3.2% of the population of the United States...
s, Irish American
Irish American
Irish Americans are citizens of the United States who can trace their ancestry to Ireland. A total of 36,278,332 Americans—estimated at 11.9% of the total population—reported Irish ancestry in the 2008 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau...
s, and German American
German American
German Americans are citizens of the United States of German ancestry and comprise about 51 million people, or 17% of the U.S. population, the country's largest self-reported ancestral group...
s. Most members of the community were Roman Catholics.
The area was originally mostly Irish, but slowly became mostly Italian by 1958.
The facility was part of a large Roman Catholic parish which also consisted of a church, rectory
Rectory
A rectory is the residence, or former residence, of a rector, most often a Christian cleric, but in some cases an academic rector or other person with that title...
, convent
Convent
A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...
of the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, known by their initials BVM, is a Roman Catholic religious order founded in the United States by Mother Mary Frances Clarke. BVM Sisters work in twenty-five U.S...
, and two other parish halls. The school was the educational home to approximately 1,600 students. The north wing was a two-story structure built in 1910, but remodeled several times later; the building originally consisted of a first-floor church and a second-floor school. The entire building became a school when a newer church facility opened in 1939. A south wing dating from 1939 was connected in 1951 by an annex to the north wing. The two original buildings and the annex formed a U-shape, with a narrow fenced courtyard between.
Our Lady of the Angels School fire
A fire in the older north wing of the school occurred on December 1, 1958. It killed 92 students and 3 nuns and injured numerous others. The entire building was demolished, and a new school opened on the same site in 1960.After the fire
The ruins were demolished in 1959 and a new Our Lady of the Angels School, with an address of 3814 West Iowa Street, which was located on the south side of the building and used in order to distance the school from the fire, was constructed with the latest required fire safety standards, such as a sprinkler system.Prior to the rebuilding, OLA students attended various "replacement" schools to finish the school year while the new Our Lady of the Angels School was under construction.
Catholic schools that took some OLA students include:
- Our Lady Help of Christians School (Since closed)
- Our Lady of Grace School http://www.olgchicago.org/
- St. Peter Canisius School (Since closed)
Chicago Public Schools
Chicago Public Schools
Chicago Public Schools, commonly abbreviated as CPS by local residents and politicians and officially classified as City of Chicago School District #299 for funding and districting reasons, is a large school district that manages over 600 public elementary and high schools in Chicago, Illinois...
campuses that took some OLA students include:
- Cameron School (Cameron has similar construction to the former Our Lady of Angels School)
- John Hay Elementary School http://www.hay.cps.k12.il.us/
- Rezin Orr School (now Brian Piccolo Specialty School) http://www.piccolo.cps.k12.il.us/
The modern three-story building with 32 classrooms plus a kindergarten opened in September, 1960. Donations from around the world helped to fund the new construction.
Demographic changes
Demographic changes in the population of the city’s west side began to reduce the number of students in the school during the 1970s. The cohesiveness of the parish weakened and many Catholic residents began to move to the northwest side of Chicago or to the western suburbs.In 1989 the St. Francis of Assisi School merged into Our Lady of the Angels. In 1990 the OLA church merged into the St. Francis of Assisi Church (at 932 North Kostner). The OLA parish buildings closed as the parish staff moved to the SFA location.
School closure
As a result of declining numbers of students, the Archdiocese of Chicago closed Our Lady of the Angels School, which held the address of 3814 West Iowa Street, once the Class of 1999 graduated. The final graduating class dedicated a historic marker and fire memorial within the school. Due to the conflict between church and state property, this religious statue and pedestal have since been removed to the Holy Family Church.At first the Nuestra America Charter High School opened in the former OLA building. Nuestra America closed in 2002. As of 2007 the building is leased to Galapagos Charter School.