St Marys College High School - Peraltan Yearbook (Berkeley, CA)

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The cornerstone was laid by Archbishop Riordan of San Francisco, successor to Archbishop Alemany, in 1887, and the construction was finished two years later. The school was actually one structure, a large, five story, brick building, later nicknamed The Brickpile . It was dedicated before an audience of six to ten thousand, with registration of students beginning the next week. Brother Bettelin was succeeded as principal by a number of Brothers who worked to expand the reputation of Saint Mary's. Brother Erminold Walter was serving in the post when disaster struck the school in 1894. He returned one day from a speaking engagement to find the school engulfed in flames. The city fire department was inadequately equipped to fight the fire, and the hydrants simply did not deliver enough water. When it was all over, the interior of the building was completely gutted, save some books and scientific equipment. News of the disaster quickly reached Brother Bettelin in New York, who returned to oversee the reconstruction process and face the subsequent financial problems: negligence during his administration had left Saint Mary's with no money. Archbishop Riordan remitted the 32500 debt Saint Mary's owed the diocese and set up a collection in the parish churches. Many businesses also made generous donations. The reconstruction was slow and filled with many complications, including a cold and wet winter. The building reopened a year later. The next few years brought about an expanded curriculum and classes in the higher mathematics and science. Saint Mary's was exclusively a boarding school. A fee of thirty-two dollars a month covered board, tuition, books, medical expenses, and other necessities. All incoming mail, ex- cept that from parents or guardians was subject to censorship, and parents were permitted to make monthly visits as long as it didn't interfere with study. At the turn of the century, the faculty consisted of sixteen Brothers and nine laymen. The first official publication by and for the students was not produced until 1904. For forty years before that, several newsletters had come and gone, but this was the first with the principal's approval. Appropriately named The Collegian, it was started by two Freshmen and became very pop- ular despite the hefty price of fifteen cents. As a monthly magazine, it contained short stories, essays, and school and sports news. Misfortune struck Saint Mary's again in 1918. On a Tuesday afternoon in May, a fire suddenly started in the northwest corner of the school. In what must have seemed like a deja vu, the fire department was poorly equipped to fight the fire, and the hydrants had insufficient pressure to spray water to the roof. Ironically enough, much of the contents of the building, such as books, were not lost because of the fire, but from water damage. However, as the staff and students proudly recalled, they had overcome disaster before, and they would do it again. Repairs were completed in time for the next school year at the end of that summer. But a second problem, also experienced before, was develop- ing at Saint Mary's. The curriculum had again expanded, includ- ing the establishment of a law program which became very reputable. The increase in students was more than the Broadway campus could handle. So in 1926, the high school department split from the college, moved to their new 3300,000 campus at Peralta Park, and adopted the name Saint Mary's College High School . The word College was retained in the name to signify its historical origins. rigbtfhelow right: The Brickpilef' lhe five .rtofy Oakland building of St. Mary? College. below: the building in flamer. ,,,, ,gli gzy -rygwg ft ,,.. 1 , Q-gg, H M ' i:', L if - 1 iii' 1 il- S A riirr' - ' J 1 y lfss trl g n rx at in 2 .. ,mu K .M W, K . - W E S my L , h g 5 9 px Nl 'ssh 1 . . X it 1 vs, --- X . Q -2. - M- . . . .

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The dominant building on the new campus was St. Josephs Hall, a remainder of St. Josephs Academy, the previous school at Peralta Park, and residents hall fondly known as The Palace , Built in the late 1800's as a luxury hotel, it was an eccentric mixture of architecture, basically resembling a Swiss chalet. The second major structure, De la Salle Hall, was a huge building containing all the classrooms and housing 250 boarding students. It should be noted that after the move to Peralta Park, Saint Mary's catered both day and boarding students. For twenty years. the campus. with its beautiful lawns and gardens, remained unchanged. Then, in 1946, the omen struck again: fire. The south tower of The Palace was destroyed, forcing the top two floors to be pulled down for safety reasons. Two new buildings were added in the 1950's: the gymnasium, in '50, and the new St.joseph's liall, containing resident rooms and the library, in '56. ln 1965, The Palace was completely demolished, and due to a lack of earthquake safety, De la Salle was torn down in 1972. The Christian Brothers continued their educational excellence at Peralta Park. able to concentrate solely on a high school curriculum. Many extra-curricular activities were introduced, covering a variety of interests. The Collegian no longer existed, In its place was The Peraltan, a bi-weekly newspaper with a staff of fifty students. They were also responsible for one of Saint Mary's longest traditions, the annual Peraltan yearbook, In sports, one could choose between football, basketball, baseball, track, tennis and swim ming. Later cross country and soccer teams were formed. As a school of young people, the spirit of Saint Mary's was always enthusiastic and youthful, able to keep up with the times and trends reflected in its students. But the campus itself was growing old as the future rolled ahead, So, in 1974, a project for rebuilding the complete campus was introduced to allow the Christian Brothers to continue their work in the best of facilities and commit Saint Mary's to being a permanent educational institution. The Master Plan would be completed in several phases, over several years. The first phase involved building the Shea Center, a versatile cafeteria building also housing two classrooms, the plaza, a circular courtyard dominated by a large iron cross. located in the middle ofthe campus between St.joseph's Hall, the Shea Center and the gymnasium, and the Brothers Residence, The second phase brings us into most recent history. the construction ofthe science building, Harold B. Murphy Hall, Built at a cost more than triple the expense of the original Peralta Park campus, it includes modern physics, chemistry and biology laboratories, and extra classrooms for other subjects, The next phase is the construction of a performing arts center. The evolution of Saint Mary's College lligh School has been long and exciting. It has seen a civil war. two world wars, and twenty five U.S. Presidents. and undergone three location changes. And while the fashions, fads. and thoughts of many a generation and era have filtered through the school, its unstoppable spirit and dedication have remained constant. The Christian Brothers have proudly displayed their commitment to teaching making Saint Mary's a prime example of their work. This commitment was rewarded in 1986, when the school was chosen by the United States Government Department of Education as one of 65 exemplary educational institutions in the country. With 125 years under its belt. the future of Saint Mary's College High School is bright, and there is no reason to doubt it will remain for at least another 125 years Written by Martin C. Edwards, Class of 1988 December. 1987 l r The Iwo buildingr of Sain! Mdfyil College High School now gone from Peralta Park: De La Salle Hall and The Palace, qi -- ,