Lost St. Mary's

Curated by Erica Esparza and Edgar Velázquez Reynald

Throughout the years, St. Mary’s has grown and become an integral part of the westside of San Antonio. Since the school’s origin in 1852, the Society of Mary was dedicated to providing a proper education and formation of faith to the Mexican American and other immigrant communities. The school opened in a temporary schoolhouse with a small student body. From these humble beginnings, the school moved to a prominent building in downtown San Antonio, next to the San Antonio River.

As the city grew, so did the University and its prestige. The school eventually moved away from downtown and to a large piece of land in the west side of San Antonio. This remains St. Mary’s main campus to this day.

For almost two centuries, St. Mary’s University has played an important part in San Antonio’s history and this project honors that tradition. Lost St. Mary’s unearths certain elements of the school’s campus or culture that are no longer in existence and brings them back to life through these short narratives. Hopefully, readers will be inspired to seek out further history about St. Mary’s and unearth even more stories.

Each location has an audio tour component in addition to the written narratives and multimedia components.

St. Mary's on the Riverwalk

As San Antonio grew, so did St. Mary’s University. After opening the school in 1852 with twelve students, the Marianist Brothers moved from a temporary schoolhouse to a permanent building constructed near the San Antonio River. The first building…

Old St. Mary's Had a Farm

St. Mary’s College, located downtown, was looking to purchase a 75-acre property for the extension of their campus . It was purchased for a $1 from the West End Town Co. On August 23, 1893, plowing and excavation began as they broke ground. St.…

Walked the Mile

The addition of St. Louis College in 1894 and the issue of transportation threatened the prosperity of the college. The ten-mile distance between the downtown campus to the Woodlawn campus, at the time, was an issue due to the availability of only…

Diving into St. Mary's History

On April 10, 1895, St. Louis College broke ground for the original natatorium and excavation began. The new acreage for St. Louis College, came with its own waterworks, electric light plant, and dairy. The water for the new natatorium would be pumped…

Curtain Call: St. Mary's Old Theater

In 1908, Reinbolt Hall opened its doors to St. Louis College students. This ceremonious event welcomed 500 attendees to celebrate the new structural addition to the campus. The basement of Reinbolt Hall served as the college auditorium. The college…

62 Years of Alumni Gym

A dirt floor welcomed visitors when Alumni Gym first opened its doors in 1938. Designed as a multi-use facility, the St. Mary’s College Alumni Association first proposed the building in 1927, the year of St. Mary’s diamond jubilee. Then in its…

Rattlers Travel on a Giant "Blue Goose"

The “Blue Goose,” a behemoth of a bus, transported St. Mary’s basketball and football teams cross country between the years of 1938 and 1942. Despite only transporting St. Mary’s athletes for four short years, the “Blue Goose” became known across the…

The Scholasticate and the Legacy of Brother Tom Treadaway

Built in 1967, Treadaway Hall  served as the Scholasticate to the Marianist student brothers in residence. The Society of Mary leased out parts of the hall to St. Mary’s University in the early 1970s to provide more space to the growing student body.…
We would like to thank the Public History Department, the National Archives Marianist Province of the United States, Dr. Turner, Brother Matz, and Father Leies for their contribution to this project. Thank you!