The Story Begins

ICA Cristo Rey's history dates back to the late 19th century. Mother Pia (Maria) Backes, the founder of ICA, was born in Neukirchen, Germany, in 1852. When she was four years old, her family moved to Philadelphia, and later, to New York City. At the age of 18, she made the life-altering decision to become a Dominican Sister at the Holy Cross Monastery in Brooklyn.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, the Catholic immigrant population in San Francisco was growing rapidly. Archbishop Joseph Alemany, the first archbishop of the San Francisco Diocese, struggled to provide a Catholic education to the expanding German immigrant community. In desperation, he reached out to the Dominican Sisters of New York, seeking help to establish a Catholic school in San Francisco.

Mother Pia, along with two other sisters, Sister Salesia Fichtner and Sister Amanda Bednartz, bravely accepted the responsibility. In 1876, they moved to San Francisco and resided at the Queen of the Holy Rosary Convent, located next to St. Boniface Church in what is now the Tenderloin neighborhood. The school started at St. Boniface with 40 students, and due to the dedication of these three sisters, enrollment grew to 105 in just the first year.

With this initial success, Mother Pia sought to expand. Her first opportunity came in 1881 when the Rueggs, a devoted St. Boniface family, offered the basement of their home in the Mission district on 21st Street and Valencia Street as a new school location.

Mother Pia's vision for expansion into the Mission became a reality in November 1882 when the Dominican Sisters purchased a 60 by 125 feet lot on 24th and Guerrero, the current location of ICA Cristo Rey today. Construction began on the new Immaculate Conception Convent and Academy for a total cost of $14,800. On November 29, 1883, Thanksgiving Day, the new building was completed. To this day, this date is celebrated as the founding of ICA Cristo Rey.

The latter part of the 19th century was a period of significant activity for the Dominican Sisters in San Francisco. Enrollment at the Immaculate Conception Academy grew rapidly, necessitating expansion. In 1887, the sisters purchased two three-story frame buildings on Fair Oaks Street, and by 1893, these additional spaces were refurbished to be new classrooms. Concurrently, the Dominican sisters played an active role in establishing other schools in ICA’s vicinity, such as St. Anthony School in Bernal Heights.

 

What was happening in San Francisco at the time?

The 1880s were a significant period in San Francisco's history marked by growth, cultural diversity, and societal changes. The city experienced economic prosperity due to the expansion of industries like shipping, manufacturing, and finance, as well as the completion of the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1884. This made San Francisco a major trade hub on the West Coast, attracting a wave of immigrants and pioneers.

Immigration played a crucial role in shaping the city's identity during this era. The Gold Rush in the mid-1800s brought immigrants from various parts of the world, including Irish, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Chinese communities. These immigrant groups left a lasting impact on the city, with neighborhoods like Chinatown, established in the mid-1800s, becoming thriving cultural enclaves.

Social changes were also underway, with Congress passing the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882, which marked the first extensive immigration restrictions in American history. Meanwhile, movements for women's suffrage and workers' rights gained momentum, leading to strikes and demonstrations organized by labor unions like the Central Labor Council, advocating for improved wages and working conditions.

What was happening at ICA at the time?

In the first years of the 20th century, ICA was thriving in its new location at 24th and Guerrero, providing an increasingly impressive education to San Francisco's community. However on April 18, 1906, the catastrophic 7.9 magnitude San Francisco Earthquake struck and presented new challenges to the city of San Francisco and the ICA community.

The sisters' experiences during the earthquake and its aftermath are well-documented in their diaries. Fortunately, the earthquake did not harm ICA's motherhouse and school building. Without hesitation, the sisters courageously ventured out that day to assist the sick and dying throughout the city, severely affected by the earthquake and subsequent fires.

The following afternoon, the sisters received distressing news that the fire, fueled by limited water supply due to broken pipes, was projected to reach both St. James Church (located at 23rd and Guerrero St) and ICA after 11 p.m. that night. To prevent the fire's advance, it was decided to dynamite St.James and ICA. With this warning, the sisters packed and transferred valuable items to the safety of St. Anthony's School in Bernal Heights. They also buried smaller valuables near ICA.

In the early hours of April 20th, the sisters anxiously awaited news about the destruction of their beloved home and school. However, at the eleventh hour, a shift in the wind direction and the discovery of an intact water main spared both St. James Church and ICA from the fires. In the subsequent weeks, ICA transformed into an emergency hospital for the sick and dying and also served as a temporary orphanage.

In 1907, a year after the earthquake, the sisters made a significant decision to relocate the Dominican Motherhouse from 24th and Guerrero Street to its present location of Mission San Jose, Fremont, CA. While the Mission San Jose property had been acquired by the sisters earlier, the fear prompted by the 1906 earthquake, coupled with the need for more space in San Francisco to accommodate the growing student population, motivated the sisters to move the motherhouse. Some sisters remained at the ICA convent. With the additional space at the 24th and Guerrero Street campus, ICA could offer a complete four-year high school program for female students interested in pursuing it.

 

What was happening in San Francisco at the time?

The turn of the 20th century marked a crucial period for San Francisco, characterized by both remarkable progress and challenging adversity. As the city embraced the new century, it could not have foreseen the seismic events that would reshape its landscape and spirit.

By 1900, San Francisco had evolved into a bustling metropolis, embodying the optimism of the era. Embracing technological strides like cable cars and electric streetcars, the city showcased its commitment to modernity. The thriving port solidified its role as a conduit to the Pacific, fostering international trade and commerce.

However, a dramatic shift occurred on April 18, 1906, when the catastrophic 7.9 magnitude San Francisco Earthquake struck. Its force shattered buildings, ignited fires, and tested residents' tenacity. The aftermath, coupled with ensuing fires, led to widespread devastation, displacing hundreds of thousands and leaving a city in ruins. Approximately 250,000 residents were left homeless, prompting the construction of “earthquake shacks”—5,610 single-story structures scattered across over 20 refugee camps, including sites like Mission Dolores Park and Washington Square. Some of these makeshift dwellings can still be found around the city today. This catastrophe had a profound impact on urban planning and architecture, catalyzing the implementation of robust construction codes and the development of earthquake-resistant structures.

Amidst the wreckage, San Francisco's culture displayed resilience. The Barbary Coast, notorious as a red-light district, was a 9-block area of dance halls, concert saloons, jazz clubs, and more. Concentrated along Pacific Avenue, spanning Stockton Street to Montgomery Street, this area now overlaps with Chinatown and North Beach. Previously controlled by criminal factions and exploitative drinking establishments, the Barbary Coast transformed after the 1906 Earthquake. Emerging from the ashes, it reinvented itself as "Terrific Street," a dynamic epicenter of dance, music, and culture, shedding its former illicit associations. Its lively jazz scene during the early 1900s earned it this distinctive moniker.

Expansion from 1910-1930

After the Motherhouse relocated in 1907 from San Francisco to Mission San Jose in Fremont, CA, Immaculate Conception Academy had the space needed to accommodate the growing student population. This expansion allowed ICA to offer a complete four-year high school program for young women in San Francisco, including four years of religion and English, three years of history, math, science, and foreign language, and one year of American government. In 1915, ICA received accreditation from the University of California, the primary accrediting body at the time, signifying that the education provided adequately prepared students for success at a UC institution.

The growth around ICA also shaped its evolution into the institution we know today. In 1924, St. James Parochial School for Girls was founded on Fair Oaks Street, adjacent to ICA. Serving students in grades 1 through 8, St. James educated the younger students, allowing ICA to thrive solely as a high school and focus on upper-level education.

Even after transitioning from serving students of all ages to exclusively high school students, ICA still found itself in need of more space. In 1927, excavation began for the current-day school building located at 24th and Guerrero Street. The building opened in August 1928 with new classrooms and an auditorium, marking a significant moment in the school's history.

During the two decades from 1910 to 1930, Mother Pia achieved a crucial milestone for the Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose. She tirelessly worked to secure non-canonical status for the Dominican Sisters, enabling their organizations to operate independently of the Archdiocese of San Francisco, a decision only granted by the Vatican. Mother Pia made multiple trips to Rome, Germany, and other locations to seek advice to craft the necessary proposals. After over a decade of effort, she received the news on November 25, 1922, that her endeavors had succeeded. In celebration, Mother Pia declared that November 25th should forever be celebrated with ice cream! Today, ICA Cristo Rey is recognized as an independent Catholic school, thanks to Mother Pia's determination. She passed away on February 8, 1925, and her legacy continues to shape the community at ICA Cristo Rey.

What was happening in San Francisco at the time?

In the dynamic span from 1910 to 1930, San Francisco experienced a whirlwind of changes, marked by the effects of World War I and recovery from the devastating 1906 earthquake. As the city danced into the Roaring Twenties, it was already a hub of culture and innovation.

World War I prompted the Presidio Army post to ramp up its activities. In the later years of the war, 1917 and 1918, the Presidio played a key role in training and deploying officers, coordinating artillery and infantry units, and offering care to returning wounded soldiers. With the city's ports crucial for troop and supply movements, San Francisco's economy saw a notable upturn. Significantly, the shipyards were bustling, providing substantial job opportunities.

Outside of the military, there was a need for San Francisco to re-establish itself as a thriving center of technology after the 1906 earthquake. In 1915, the city hosted the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, celebrating the completion of the Panama Canal and showcasing other groundbreaking innovations. This event introduced the world to inventions like the telephone, typewriter, and phonograph. To host the event, the flat land between the Presidio and Fort Mason was transformed to house exhibit “palaces” of different disciplines, and the Palace of Fine Arts still stands today.

San Francisco's focus on technology and innovation extended beyond showmanship. A testament to this commitment is the remarkable Twin Peaks Tunnel, a passageway underneath the Twin Peaks spanning 2.27 miles. Completed in 1918, the tunnel links the Castro and West Portal Muni Metro stations, a project that took a decade of meticulous planning and construction. Its purpose was to seamlessly connect the city's western districts with its other expanding neighborhoods.