Building History

This Roman Catholic school was affiliated with the All Saints Parish, founded in 1917. By the late 1920s, local church officials had hoped to supplement the community church with a school, but were blocked by neighborhood ordinances. All Saints Parish historian Carolyn Wharton noted of this legal impediment: "The problem was a City Council ordinance which limited buildings in the area to single-family dwellings and educational buildings that could be erected only if they were 'not detrimental or injurious to the character of the district or to the public health, peace, or safety thereof.' Monsignor [Arthur] Lane [appointed in 1928] forged ahead with his plans for the school, submitting drawings and applications to the City of Portland, which battled the school tooth and nail. Finally the case went to the Oregon Supreme Court, which ruled in 1932 that such a school would clearly not endanger the public health or safety. Building commenced apace, and in 1936 a one-story school of four classrooms, several music rooms, office and basement hall was dedicated. The Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary came from the St. Francis parish convent to staff the new school when it opened, and they were impressed: Writing to the mother house on an inspection visit, Sister Marie reported that their new pupils were 'exceptionally refined.'" (See Carolyn Wharton, All Saints Portland.org, "The Parish from 1917-1970," in A Community of Saints, accessed 06/28/2023.) While this text does not go into the underlying reasons for the City of Portland's resistance, one is left wondering why it was necessary to take the issue to the Supreme Court of Oregon in the first place?

PCAD id: 24696