The Benedictine Sisters of Erie began the Academy – the first Catholic high school for women in the city of Erie – in 1869. In 1890, the Sisters erected the 9th Street structure to enlarge their school that had been housed in the convent since it opened.
The groundbreaking for a “new” school building was held on September 18, 1953. The new Saint Benedict Academy opened its first classes in September 1955 with an enrollment of 459 students representing 19 parishes. The academy closed in 1988.
In 1955, when the academy moved to its new building on E. 10th Street, the E. 9th Street facility became living, working and study space for the Sisters. Early in 1970, teh community moved to its present monastery on East Lake Road, and use of the E. 9th Street building changed again.
To retain a Benedictine presence in center-city Erie, the Sisters decided to renovate the E. 9th Street building. Exterior renovations began in 1986, and the interior was completely renovated February – September 1992. Today, the building houses childcare services, after-school programs and other ministries that serve the changing neighborhood.