History
Loyola Blakefield Through the Years
Loyola is known by many in the Baltimore metropolitan area as an outstanding all-male Catholic school in the Jesuit tradition. The institution is part of a network of more than sixty other Jesuit high schools in the United States, that seek to educate men-and-women-for-others. Our school traces its history through a 450-year legacy of educational excellence that dates back to the first school founded by St. Ignatius Loyola at Messina, Italy in 1548. Visiting campus, one gains a sense of the history and tradition that have sustained the school, as well the energy and enthusiasm that have kept Loyola Blakefield forging into the 21st century. From the first students in 1852 and the first class to enter the Blakefield campus in 1934, to the newest generation of Dons, Loyola Blakefield’s mission has remained to graduate men of conscience, competence, and compassion.
List of 11 items.
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1852
Loyola High School and Loyola College open their doors on Holliday Street in Baltimore. The school is founded by Rev. John Early, S.J. and eight other Jesuits. -
1855
Experiencing large growth, the two schools move to Calvert Street. This location now hosts St. Ignatius Loyola Academy and St. Ignatius Church. -
1921
With a growing demand for Jesuit education, the school continued to grow. Loyola College and Loyola High School are separated. The college moves to its new Evergreen Campus. -
1933
Under the leadership of the Rev. John Dustin, S.J. and his successor, the Rev. Ferdinand Wheeler, S.J., the high school set its sights on property north of the city to find a new home. In 1933, thanks to the financial support of a major benefactor, the family of George Blake, the school began building on the land today known as Blakefield. One year later, upper classmen met there for the first time while the freshmen remain downtown. The downtown campus officially closed for good in 1941. -
1981
Middle school levels were established with the addition of a 7th and 8th grade at Loyola. By 1988, a 6th grade was added. -
1996
Burk Hall is constructed with the inclusion of the Chapel of Our Lady of Montserrat. It also contains the administrative offices, the Departments of Guidance and Counseling, as well as the Departments of Religious Studies, Art, History and Mathematics. -
2002
Loyola Blakefield celebrated its 150th graduating class along with the completion and dedication of Knott Hall, the new multi-purpose center featuring Bunting Dining Hall, the Joseph E. Peters ’55 Performance Gym, meeting facilities, swimming pool and four-court gymnasium. -
2009
The 2009-10 school year marked the 75th anniversary of our move to the Blakefield campus. Read more about our 75-years at Blakefield via this issue of Blakefield Magazine. -
2011
Wheeler Hall, Loyola’s flagship academic building, undergoes major renovations which deliver technological advancement to classrooms. The Rev. Lloyd George, S.J. Lounge is transformed into a modern meeting facility. -
2012–13
The newest addition to Blakefield is the installation of synthetic turf and remodeled athletic facility on Hargaden Field. -
2016-Today
Throughout more than 160 years of educating young men in the Jesuit Catholic tradition, Loyola has transformed physically and programmatically as we evolve to meet the needs of 21st century learners. Blackboards have given way to Smart Boards and notebooks are quickly being replaced with tablet computers.
As of 2022, our campus master plan is fully realized with the construction of St. Ignatius Hall and the addition of new turf performance and practice fields. These latest additions are part of our unique ability to adapt to the evolving needs of our Dons.
