Since its foundation in 1880, Saint Ignatius’ College, Riverview has been under the care of the Society of Jesus.

While the founder of the school in the real sense was Father Joseph Dalton SJ, the school does have two other founders: Archbishop Roger Bede Vaughan, who invited the Jesuits to Sydney on condition that they found a boys’ boarding school, and Father JJ Therry, who, on his death in 1864, left the greater part of his property to the Society of Jesus.

After Archbishop Vaughan asked the Jesuits to open a day school in Sydney (St Kilda House, later to become St Aloysius’ College) and a boarding college on the North Shore, Father Joseph Dalton purchased the Riverview Estate on behalf of the Society of Jesus on 28 June 1878. Eighteen months later Father Dalton was appointed foundation Rector of Saint Ignatius’ College.

An advertisement was placed in the Catholic newspaper, The Express, stating that boys aged between eight and 12 would be received at Riverview ‘as soon as possible after the Christmas holidays’. Classes commenced in the cottage in February 1880.

The cottage soon became very cramped as more boys arrived and in order to provide better accommodation, St Michael’s House was built. The building was designed by William Wardell and opened on the feast of Saint Michael, 29 September 1880. Further building took place at the College in 1882 with the construction of a wooden boatshed, and in 1883 the infirmary was built.

In its early years, the College offered ‘Classical and Modern Languages, History, Mathematics, the Natural Sciences and all other branches required for the Civil Service, the Junior, Senior and Matriculation Examinations.’ It was advertised that the curriculum included a modern side: mercantile subjects.

By December 1882, with an enrolment of only 70 students, the College extended the curriculum to include English Composition, Writing, Music, Singing, Drawing, Painting, Irish History and Oral Latin.

The main building of the College was constructed in three stages between 1885–1930 and the foundation stone was laid by Cardinal Moran Archbishop of Sydney on 15 December 1885. As originally designed by the architectural firm of Gilbert, Dennihey and Tappin, of Ballarat, the building was to be a huge square, representing four identical fronts, but only the South front was completed according to plan.

Although the first dayboys were not officially admitted until 1923, there was a small group of pupils who were permitted to attend the College as dayboys. In fact, up until the 1960s, dayboys remained relatively small in number and Riverview was mainly for boarders.