St. Jerome's School

1869 - 2013

St. Jerome’s School was organized by Reverend John. J. Hughes in 1869 to provide local services to the Catholic community in Mott Haven. The cornerstone for St. Jerome’s school and temporary chapel was laid on June 19th, 1870. In 1872, the Ursuline sisters took charge of the school, and it was renamed St. Jerome’s Academy in 1882. Construction of the church and its facilities took several decades, and it wasn’t until 1900 that the schoolhouse was used exclusively for academic purposes. The private school occupied the second and third floors of the building located at the corner of 137th Street and Alexander Avenue until 1932 when it became defunct due to “decreased enrollment” (Martire). However, the church maintained a boys school separately from the private academy and continued to provide various forms of education until the schools final closure in 2013. The church and its schools served and adapted to the changing needs of the community over the course of a century. In the 1940s, the local community was primarily composed of new or first-generation Irish immigrants. The church advertised several activities and clubs throughout the 40s and 50s, such as an Elder’s club serving men and women over the age of 60, arts and crafts, bingo, and even a day nursery for preschool children in 1959. In recent years, the South Bronx has seen an influx of Hispanic/Latinx populations, and St. Jerome’s continues to adapt to its community. As of 2008, the church is home to St. Jerome’s H.A.N.D.S., an organization that assists the assimilation of new immigrants with information and resources through various courses in English language, computer skills, as well as primary and secondary curricula for peoples with disrupted education.