Bishop John Martin Henni had long dreamed of establishing a seminary to train priests to serve German-speaking Catholic immigrants in his Milwaukee diocese. In 1853, architect Victor Schulte was commissioned to design a seminary building at the south inlet of Milwaukee Bay. Lay brothers and other laborers and craftsmen were housed on the grounds during the construction period.

At least 5,000 persons attended the laying of the cornerstone July 18, 1855 and the first students arrived in 1856. They found that the building housed classrooms, a dormitory, a dining room, and a temporary chapel. Later, as enrollment at the seminary increased, wings were added to the main building in 1869 and 1871 and the temporary chapel was replaced by Christ King Chapel in 1861. A gold cross extended eleven feet above an octagonal cupola on the Italianate-style main building announcing its presence to travelers. When Archbishop Henni died in 1881, he was buried in a crypt in the chapel. It was not until the cemetery’s centennial, however, that his name was given to its original building. Saint Francis de Sales Seminary began its academic collaboration with Sacred Heart School of Theology in 2006. Today the seminary again focuses solely on priestly formation.