Bellarmine-Jefferson High School opened in September 1944 and celebrated the first graduation with the class of 1948.
Many years of American history are built into the architectural design of Bellarmine-Jefferson High School. The school was named after both St. Robert Bellarmine and Thomas Jefferson by Msgr. Martin Cody Keating when he built the high school. The high school was named after both men to express commonly held ideals that both Bellarmine and Jefferson shared.
The cornerstone of the first wing was laid in 1945 and an addition was completed in 1950. The auditorium was completed in 1954. It was renamed St. Eleanor Hall in honor of Sister Mary St. Eleanor Flynn, who dedicated more than thirty years of service to Bellarmine-Jefferson High School.
The Martin Cody Keating Memorial Gymnasium was completed in 1982. The following year two more classrooms were added to complete the current configuration of the school buildings.
The facade of the main building is modeled after Independence Hall in Philadelphia where the Declaration of Independence was signed. The bricks used on the exterior walls conform in size and color to those used in the original structure of Independence Hall. Inside the front door, the rotunda duplicates the foyer, stairway and balcony of Independence Hall.
Rising high into the sky is a clock tower that can be seen for many blocks. The tower clock facing east is permanently set at 8:00 PM to commemorate the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The clock facing west is permanently set for 4:00 PM, the hour that the Constitution of the United States was signed on September 17, 1787.
The exterior of the auditorium (St. Eleanor Hall) is modeled after the Library of the University of Virginia, which was founded and co-designed by Thomas Jefferson in 1785. Thirteen steps bearing alphabetical letters and representing the thirteen original colonies lead up to the entrance.
Details on the inside west wall of St. Eleanor Hall repeat the floor plan of Independence Hall. There is a ceiling high alcove similar to the spot where Thomas Jefferson sat to sign the Declaration of Independence. On the other side of the auditorium, leading to the courtyard, is a painting of Sister Mary St. Eleanor and likeness of St. Robert Bellarmine, Thomas Jefferson and the Seal of the United States of America.
For over fifty years, Bellarmine-Jefferson High School has been dedicated to meeting the spiritual, moral, ethical and educational needs of the students.