One of the most important Civil War era structures in Youngstown, the Rayen School was also the first secondary institution in the city. Built between 1862-1866, the building is Greek Revival.

Simeon Porter designed the original brick structure. P. Ross Berry, an African American master bricklayer, William Mason, a stone mason and carpenter Daniel V. Tilden all contributed to making this an outstanding building.

With a growing enrollment, additions were made in 1894 and 1910. In 1922, the new Rayen School opened on Benita Ave. Youngstown State University shared the building with the Board of Education until the 1980s, when the latter took over the entire structure.

Judge Rayen passed away in 1856. There are records of him owning two different homes ... One in the North-west corner of Spring Common and another at the Northeast corner of Walnut and Federal Streets. He occupied the first home when he came to Youngstown and bought a tract of land from John Young.