ST. VINCENT'S ORPHAN ASYLUM served as a Catholic home for boys ages 4-14 from 1852 until 1925. Bp. AMADEUS RAPPE founded the home, run by the SISTERS OF CHARITY OF ST. AUGUSTINE. St. Vincent's opened with funds from a fair patronized by all denominations. In May 1853 a frame house was completed and 11 orphans admitted. By the end of that year, the home housed 46. In 1858 construction of a large brick house began at the corner of Monroe Ave. and Fulton Rd. on the city's west side. Completed in 1865, the building accommodated 100; a chapel was added in 1867. By 1879 the home had cared for 1,272 boys. In addition to orphans, St. Vincent's also received boys from poor families. At age 13 or 14, the boys were placed in private homes, often to take work. St. Vincent's was entirely supported by donations and fairs. Surrounded by industrial sites by the 1920s, the orphanage sent its children to the newly opened PARMADALE in the SUBURBS in 1925. It closed and was eventually sold.
See also ORPHANAGES.