The Batavia Institute High School building today has been repurposed and is used as an apartment building.
HISTORY OF BATAVIA INSTITUTE HIGH SCHOOL
Batavia (population 26,098) is located in far northeastern Illinois in the far eastern portion of Kane County. The eastern portion of Batavia extends into DuPage County as well. Illinois Routes 25 and 31 pass through Batavia. The Fox River passes through the heart of the city as well. Batavia is located about 42 miles west of downtown Chicago. The area where the city of Batavia is located was first settled in the late 1830s. It is named after a town of the same name in New York. A post office was established in Batavia in 1841.
Batavia Institute, according a photo of a plaque located on the former school grounds provided by Ed Kozak, was established in February of 1853. Classes were offered in liberal arts, literature, foreign languages, music, and other arts. It appears the school continued into the 1860s. In 1867 the school building was purchased by Dr. Richard J. Patterson. The building was utilized as a sanitorium for women known as the Bellevue Place. As the plaque states, the Bellevue Place’s most notable patient was Mary Todd Lincoln, widow of President Abraham Lincoln. Mrs. Lincoln spent time in the sanitorium from May through September of 1875. The Bellevue Place operated as a sanitorium through July of 1965.
BATAVIA INSTITUTE HIGH SCHOOL QUICK FACTS
Year Opened: 1853
Year Ceased HS Operations: 1867
School Building Use Today: Apartment Building
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION WELCOME
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