Administratively, BOPKRI 1 Middle School is currently located at Jalan Mas Suharto, no 48 Tegalpanggung Village, Kemantren Danurejan, Yogyakarta Municipality. The original building of BOPKRI 1 Middle School can be seen from the U-shaped building plan and the building style which is characterized by Indische architecture which shows a blend of local Javanese architecture with Dutch (European) style architecture. Local architectural characteristics can be seen from the shape of the pyramid roof and the use of wooden elements, while the influence of Dutch-style architecture can be seen from the use of specific brick materials and tiled floors. Indian-style architectural model What is easily recognized is the use of doors and windows in large numbers and are large in size with fighting butterfly leaves and blinds. At this time several building materials have undergone changes, such as for example on the floor which was originally covered with ceramic gray tiles, and all the walls/walls of the classroom inside and outside are covered with ceramic to a height of approximately 1.5 meters. However, in appearance the facade still shows original characteristics. The original buildings that still show their characteristics are the classrooms on the east, north and south sides. The north side of the classroom forms a facade that is characteristic of the BOPKRI 1 Middle School building with a terrace supported by rows of wall columns with an arched lintel, with the main door in the middle.
The BOPKRI 1 Middle School building cannot be separated from the history of educational development, especially in Yogyakarta since the Dutch Colonial period. With the implementation of the Ethical Policy and policies of the Dutch Colonial Government in the field of education for the people, native and Chinese children had the opportunity to attend Dutch Christian schools. The holding of these Christian schools is part of the mission of spreading Christianity by the Zending mission. At that time in Yogyakarta there were two institutions that operated Christian schools for the community, namely Zending Gerceformende Kerken (ZGK) for Zending schools and Vereeniging Scholen met den Bijbel which organized schools with Dutch language instruction such as: Hollandsch Javansche School (HJS) , Europesche Lagere School (ELS), Hollandsch Chinesche School (HCS), Malaische Chinesche School MCS).
Hollandsch Chineesche School (HCS) was first established in Batavia in 1908. The establishment of HCS was a follow-up to the policy of the Dutch East Indies Colonial government in advancing education, including education for ethnic Chinese children in Indonesia and anticipating Chinese nationalism. In Yogyakarta, the HCS school was first established by the Dutch East Indies government in 1912, located in the village of Gandekan (now SMP N 3 Yogyakarta). The establishment of the Hollandsch Chineesche School influenced the development of ethnic Chinese education in Yogyakarta. Since HCS was founded, many Chinese people have been interested and sent their children to study at HCS. His interest was because HCS used Dutch as the language of instruction and hoped that graduates would find it easy to get a decent job and life. Previously, education for Chinese people used a traditional private education model that was given by the older generation to the younger generation based on the experience of their ancestors. Even if there were Chinese who could send their children to Dutch schools, the number was very small and limited to those who could afford it economically.
After the establishment of HCS in Gandekan or also called HCS Governorate, then in succession in Yogyakarta stood schools for other ethnic Chinese, namely HCS Zending Protestant in Gemblakan village founded in 1917, National HCS or HCS Major Yap Yong Sing founded in 1921, and HCS Catholic founded in 1934.
When the Japanese controlled the Dutch East Indies in 1942 all Dutch schools were closed, including the HCS schools in Yogyakarta. However, due to the persistent efforts of the two Chinese figures Woo Sung and Kwik Sie Liong, these Chinese schools were allowed to reopen on September 7, 1942 by the Japanese government. In 1942-1945, there were still four Chinese schools in the city of Yogyakarta, namely the schools in Poncowinatan, Dagen, Gemblakan, and Ketandan. The Chinese school in Gemblakan is also known as `School Number Three' (ti san siauw).
During the struggle for Indonesian independence, Christians were not left behind in the struggle for independence. They founded the Indonesian Christian Party (Partindo) on November 10, 1945. At its first congress in Surakarta it was decided to establish an educational institution called the Indonesian Christian Education Oesaha Agency or abbreviated as BOPKRI. The BOPKRI educational institution was first established in Yogyakarta on December 18, 1945, and aims to advance Christian community education, especially in the Yogyakarta area. In mid-1946 BOPKRI established two high school level schools and both of them occupied the HCS building in Gemblakan. In 1949 the building was converted into the BOPKRI Middle School building. Furthermore, since 1952 the building has officially changed its name to SMP BOPKRI 1 Yogyakarta Until now.**"