St. Ignatius College Prep, Jesuit college-preparatory school in the Near West Side, Chicago, United States
St. Ignatius College Prep is a Catholic secondary school run by Jesuits for boys and girls on a large campus west of downtown Chicago. The site combines brick buildings from the 19th century with newer classroom structures and includes sports facilities and gathering spaces alongside teaching rooms.
Fr. Arnold Damen, S.J., a Dutch Jesuit missionary, founded St. Ignatius College in 1869; the Second Empire-style main building by architect Toussaint Menard opened in 1870. It is one of only five Chicago structures predating the Great Fire of 1871. Loyola University grew out of the institution, which has operated solely as a college preparatory school since 1922.
Classes follow the principles of the Society of Jesus, where students learn to think critically and serve others. These values appear in daily life through group projects and respectful exchanges among all members of the school community.
The campus sits near the state university and can be reached by public transport. Visitors can view the older sections of the buildings from outside, though access to interior spaces is usually limited to students and their families.
A room dating from 1887 preserves wooden cabinets and display cases that once housed a natural history collection. The furnishings came from a well-known company of that period and still show craft details from the late 19th century.
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