Our Campus, 1900-1937
The physical presence of St. Thomas High School has grown and evolved as the staff and student body has done the same. When the doors of then St. Thomas College opened on September 4, 1900, those doors were to the Old Catholic Building in downtown Houston at Franklin and Caroline Streets. Though we do not have a picture of that original location, here is an ad from the Houston Daily Post on September 17, 1900:
After the 1900 Hurricane damaged that building shortly after opening, St. Thomas College relocated temporarily to the Mason Building at Main and Rusk Streets while plans were made for the college's own building at Austin and Hadley Streets. Construction began in July 1903 and students began classes in the fall of 1904.
The front of the building (left) was rarely photographed because the building was obscured by the large trees lining the street. Most available photos are similar to that on the right, which is the back of the building. The bottom two floors were used for classes and the third floor served as the residence for the Basilian staff. This building was home to St. Thomas College until the summer of 1940.
In 1929, then principal Fr. Thomas P. O'Rourke, C.S.B, could see that the student body was quickly outgrowing the building at Austin and Hadley. when the opportunity to purchase over 31 acres of property out at Shepherd Drive and a proposed street to be named Memorial Drive arose, he jumped at it. Though the Depression held back immediate construction on the new property, the future home of St. Thomas College was secured.
last updated August 27, 2010 |
