The future of St. Louis Catholic School, located at the corner of Willow Street and Allen Street, has been a topic of considerable discussion since the City of Waterloo moved to purchase the building from the Separate School Board in early 2012.
As the first Catholic school in Waterloo, St. Louis is located on what was once referred to as the "Allen Street Sand Hill." At the time the hill was seen as having little to offer, and an early twentieth century historian mused: "One who looks at the site now can not realize what an unsightly hill it was, nor wonder that many would have preferred another place." (Spetz, 1916, p.181)
The school, which opened in 1891, originally consisted of two rooms in the basement of the St. Louis Catholic Church. School lessons were taught to 70 children by the Sisters of Notre Dame, who commuted from Kitchener (Berlin) by train until a convent was built beside the church in 1895.As the first Catholic school in Waterloo, St. Louis is located on what was once referred to as the "Allen Street Sand Hill." At the time the hill was seen as having little to offer, and an early twentieth century historian mused: "One who looks at the site now can not realize what an unsightly hill it was, nor wonder that many would have preferred another place." (Spetz, 1916, p.181)
In 1905, a separate four-room school building was constructed to accommodate the growing number of students. This portion of the building can still be recognized as the yellow brick portion of the school facing Allen Street.
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Click to enlarge. The original St. Louis School. The convent is visible at right. Reproduced from 100 Years of Progress in Waterloo County, Canada: Semi-centennial Souvenir 1856-1906. Image courtesy Waterloo Public Library, Ellis Little Room of Local History.
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By 1916, the school held 205 pupils and four teachers. Further expansion of the school led to the construction of the Willow Street wing in 1923. The date stone for the later wing is visible on the Willow Street façade.
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Click to enlarge. St. Louis School after expansion. Note how the original Allen Street window bays have been bricked over, and the original entrance has been updated. Image courtesy Waterloo Public Library, Ellis Little Room of Local History.
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A number of significant early townspeople attended St. Louis Catholic School. One St. Louis pupil was Edgar Jacob Bauer, son of Aloyes Bauer. Aloyes founded the nearby Bauer Industries, located on King Street at the corner of Allen Street (now repurposed as a market place at the Bauer Lofts). Edgar Bauer became President and General Manager of Bauer Industries, and over his lifetime also served as President of the Waterloo Mutual Fire Insurance Company, President of the Globe Furniture Company, and Waterloo councilor for four years.
The school was closed in 1983.
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Click to enlarge. St. Louis School pupils on the church steps, 1927. Many have been identified. Can you fill in missing names? Bottom row, l to r: Wilbert Bauer, Hubert Dorst, Louis Gies, Edward Hergott, Gerald Boppre, Kenneth Ball, Edward McCormick, Raymond A.J. Bauer, Bill Reinhart. 2nd. row, l to r: Gerry Moser, ?, (possibly) Alice Bauer, Helen Hunt OR Cathleen Hauk, ?, Virginia Wey, Quentin Dancer, Wilfrid ("Red") Erdel, Vince Oberholtz, Robert Dyer. 3rd. row, l to r: Chris Reitzel, Anne Kuntz, Patsy Lang, Mary Schnietzler, Clara Reidel, Rita-Marie Helm, Vera Reidel, Victoria Pinto. 4th. row, l to r: Evelyn Grey, ?, ?, Bernice Wingfelder, Marion Hauser, Bernice McErdle, ?. Top row, l to r: ?, Delores Montague, Adine Sobisch, Caroline Longo, Eugenia Kuntz, Phyllis Koebel, Lloyd Helm. Image courtesy Waterloo Public Library, Ellis Little Room of Local History; photograph F-10-3.
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Click to enlarge. St. Louis School pupils, no date. Can you fill in missing names? Image courtesy Waterloo Public Library, Ellis Little Room of Local History; photograph H-10-2.
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This blog post was originally written and published by Michelle Lee in November 2012.
Sources:
- Johnston, Mary A. (1975). The Trail of the Slate: A History of Early Education in Waterloo County, 1802-1912.
- Spetz, Theobald. (1916). The Catholic Church in Waterloo County. Catholic Register and Extension.
- Wells, Clayton W. (1928). A Historical Sketch of the Town of Waterloo, Ontario. Waterloo Historical Society, pp.22-67.
- Waterloo Public Library, Historical Walking Tours, https://www.wpl.ca/historical-walks
- Waterloo Catholic District School Board, Sir Edgar J. Bauer School website, https://siredgarbauer.wcdsb.ca/
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