Samuel Stritch,
Cardinal Archbishop of Chicago, invited the Christian Brothers to start a new high school in
Westchester, Illinois. Construction of the original building (1840 S. Mayfair Ave.) began on July 2, 1959. Ground was broken, concrete was poured, and the first bricks of St. Joseph High School (the 1840 S. Mayfair Ave. address) were laid in 1959. Though classes began at the new school on September 7, 1960, work on the building continued through early 1961. The school was dedicated on September 16, 1961 by Cardinal Stritch's successor, Cardinal
Albert Gregory Meyer. In July 1963, St. Joseph High School received state recognition as a three-year high school and was granted full approval as a member of the Illinois High School Association. By the spring of 1964, the educational program had developed to such an extent that the school was given full recognition by the State of Illinois as a four-year high school. The school earned national attention in the 1994 documentary film
Hoop Dreams. The subjects of the film,
William Gates and
Arthur Agee, were both students at the school, and both played on the basketball team under head coach
Gene Pingatore. In 2004, the school became the first Catholic high school in the state of Illinois to enter an all wireless, all laptop learning campus. Every student and teacher received an
IBM/
Lenovo laptop computer which they either purchased or leased from the school. St. Joseph was an all-male institution until 2005, when
Francis George, O.M.I., Cardinal
Archbishop of Chicago, permitted the school to become coed in light of the closing of
Immaculate Heart of Mary High School, the neighboring all-female institution. Prior to the opening of school in 2006, St. Joseph's purchased the former grounds and building of the Immaculate Heart of Mary High School, and started the second semester of the 2006–07 school year by moving classes into the building. The original St. Joseph High School building's classrooms are now vacant since 2007 and the gym was used primarily for athletic facilities from 2007-2021. The entire plot of land including the former St. Joseph building, Christian Brothers residence (also vacant since 2006), and current school are currently under a
TIF district for the Village of Westchester's redevelopment plans. On April 13, 2021, the Board of Directors announced the closure of the school after the end of the 2020–21 school year. In July 2021, The SJHS memorabilia was archived and will be preserved in a number of locations including the Christian Brothers of the Midwest District Office as well as at the Village of Westchester Hall. St. Joseph High School worked with Winternitz Industrial Auctioneers & Appraisers to host a two day online only auction for the rest of the contents. As of April 13, 2022, approximately 1 year after the school announced its closure, all three buildings are still standing but vacant. The 29.25-acre lot of land is up for sale to satisfy a large mortgage. The entire property is currently co-listed for sale through two commercial real estate brokerage firms, Anne Dempsey with Collier’s International and Andrew Polivka, The Polivka Group LLC. St. Joseph High School’s remaining administrators are working closely with the Village of Westchester and the Christian Brothers to sell the entire parcel. ==Great Seal==