University of San Francisco Founded, 1855

The University of San Francisco began as a one-room schoolhouse named Saint Ignatius Academy. Its founding president was Fr. Anthony Maraschi, a Jesuit from northern Italy, who was teaching “mental philosophy” at Loyola College, Baltimore, when the order reached him in 1854 to depart for California’s distant shores. When Fr. Maraschi arrived in San Francisco, he applied for and received permission from Archbishop Joseph Alemany to build a Jesuit church and school. Fr. Maraschi borrowed $11,500 and purchased a lot from Thomas O. Larkin, the first American Consul in Monterey. On this lot, Fr. Maraschi built a church, a Jesuit residence, and a wooden frame building, the first home of Saint Ignatius Academy. On October 15, 1855, the school opened its doors to its first class, which numbered three students. The university has grown dramatically since its modest beginning in 1855.
(From the university website)