Update: I revisited the church and school in May of 2022.
I went by the old St. Mark’s Roman Catholic Church on Page Boulevard at Academy Avenue. It looks much like it did the last time I visited, but I think more of the window tracery (the wood framing) in the tower is missing.
The school building is huge, and shows how large this parish used to be. The congregation that bought the church after the parish closed has now moved on, as well.
My grandfather attended this school around 90 years ago when he lived nearby on Ridge Ave.
Interesting, Sara! I photographed a stretch of Ridge Avenue a few years back:
http://stlouispatina.com/houses-ridge-avenue-in-between-shawmut-and-goodfellow/
One reason the school was so huge was because it wasn’t just a grade school K-8 – it also had a high school. The co-ed elementary school was on the first level (up half a flight of stairs) and the all-girls high school was on the second floor. Two generations of my family attended the grade school, and women from three generations attended the high school. Other parishes had a similar arrangement – St. Alphonsus (the Rock Church), Corpus Christi in Jennings, St. John the Baptist (co-ed high school), and St. Francis De Sales (co-ed high school).
Thank you, John Guenther, for bringing this beautiful church to my attention. Thank you, Chris Naffziger, for your photos.
Looking for more photos and stories about this beautiful old church.
I attended this school in 1977-1979. Attending this school is my earliest memories, I was 4 years old & I hope to always remember my time there. I grew up just a few block down on Wells Ave.
Just came across my uncle’s baby book. My grandmother included his class pictures from the early 20’s. Thank you for the opportunity to see photos of St. Mark’s in it’s prime.
Kids from St. Mark’s Parish won a medal in soccer in the 1904 Olympics—-many of the boys on that team were from CBC High School. They were forced to return the medal to the Olympic Committee because they did not represent a country.
Wow, what a great story!