St. Vincent’s College for Boys

In 1865, the Vincentian Fathers were commissioned to found St. Vincent’s College for boys in Los Angeles, and appointed John Asmuth, C.M. as its first President Rector. The college was originally located in the Lugo Adobe House at the southeast corner of Alameda and Los Angeles streets. The building was one of the few two-story complexes in the city at that time and had been donated by Vicente Lugo.

Although the building no longer stands, its original site was across Alameda Street from the current Union Station on the Plaza near the southeast end of the city’s historic Olvera Street, about 1.4 miles north of Azusa Street. The campus encompassed Broadway, 6th, Hill, and 7th streets, the entire block being used for athletic fields, etc. Over time, the college moved to different locations and was renamed. The college, now Loyola University, was the first institution of higher learning in Southern California.

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