The first school dedicated to high school in Quincy, Illinois began construction in 1891 at the corner of 12th and Maine. The building was designed by local architect, Harvey Chatten, designer of the city hall at 3rd and Hampshire, and the Newcomb Mansion. The dedication ceremony was held on June 17, 1892. An addition was completed in 1905-1906. This "Pride of the Gem City" served students as Quincy's population continued to grow and secondary school enrollment increased dramatically. Superintendent Charles M. Gill first proposed building a new state of the art high school in the Quincy Daily Whig on New Years Eve, 1916, announcing: ""It is time to plan for it a new home that will foster a love for the school... for a better preparation to be better neighbors, better citizens, more successful and happier workers, better leaders, and better followers.""