Photos of the former Christian Brothers College High School, in Clayton, Missouri

THE CHRISTIAN BROTHERS COLLEGE High School was started in 1850 and since 2003 has been located in the upscale suburban community of Town and Country. This photo essay shows the former CBC school in Clayton, Missouri which was in operation from 1922. The school building has changed hands several times since it closed, having been purchased by nearby the Lutheran Concordia Seminary and by Washington University. Now there are rumors that this school will be torn down to build a school for the Clayton public school district.



A sign on a door into the building.  KEEP OUT.

A cross, formerly above the main door, has been removed, while the lettering underneath has been retained: RELIGIO - MORES - CULTURA.

The first CBC High was at 8^th and Cerre Streets in downtown Saint Louis (now a parking lot and tavern); due to industrialization of the area, the school moved in 1882 to the corner of Kingshighway and Easton (now Martin Luther King Drive) on the site of the old Côte Brilliante Indian mound; this opulent and famous school burned to the ground in 1916 and the school moved to former farmland in Clayton, the county seat of Saint Louis County. As students continued to move further westward, the school relocated once again to its present site at the northwest corner of Interstates 270 and 64.  Click here for photos of the new school.




This building's architect was Henry P. Hess (1884-1957), who worked for three years under William B. Ittner; Hess also designed the Rosati-Kain High School, the Kenrick-Glennon Seminary, All Saints in University City, Immaculate Conception in Maplewood, Saint Mary of the Barrens Seminary, in Perryville, Missouri, as well as other churches. Hess' firm is now known as LePique & Orne Architects.

Hess was Cardinal Glennon's favorite architect, and in the course of his long career designed about 700 schools.

One of the modern additions to the original building.

An empty niche, which formerly had the statue of Saint De La Salle, which is now at the new campus.

SIGNUM FIDEI and the symbol of the Christian Brothers.

The Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools was founded by Saint Jean-Baptiste de La Salle in 1681, who was responsible for instituting modern classroom pedagogy.

In its day, CBC was known as a tough Irish school, and all students were enrolled in the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps.

The former chapel.

The athletic field still gets use.