In 1916, the LCMS congregations in Fort Wayne started the Luther Institute, a two-year secondary school teaching basic office skills such as typing and shorthand, and also business law and Bible classes. Initially the school used facilities in those congregations. In 1920, the leaders of the Luther Institute suggested a merger with the high school department of Concordia College, but no agreement was reached, so in 1924-25 the institute erected a three-story building (demolished in 2006) at the corner of Barr and Washington.