In the fall of 1852 four Frenchmen arrived in frontier San Antonio in the newly formed State of Texas. They were brothers of the Catholic Society of Mary and their mission was to build a new school. John Baptist Laignoux, Nicholas Koenix, Xavier Mauclerc and Andrew Edel commenced with a limestone building approximately 60 by 80 feet on College street in what is now downtown San Antonio along the Riverwalk. The original name of the school was St. Mary’s Institute. Shortly after on March 1, 1853 the bells tolled and school started.

The origin of the builders, the scale of the building and it’s historic nature are all interesting as they are occuring at the same time as the Alsatian Homesteads spearheaded by Henri Castro in nearby Castroville west of San Antonio.

In December 1854, two more joined the faculty and one in particular Brother Charles Francis ended up with the title of The Great Builder. He devoted the next 54 years of his life to the construction of the European style complex. Fueled by cornbread and riverwater as their main water source. Milk, cheese and butter came from the Brothers Livestock housed at the nearby Mission Concepcion.

The timing, scale and duration of Brother Francis work makes one wonder if the stone masons, and other workers were known to the Alsatian immigrants. Certainly there was a shared religious connection.

Of note are other large limestone buildings such as the St. Dominic Church in D’Hanis Texas where construction began in 1853, and then the St. Louis Catholic Church in Castroville from 1868-1870. Both are within the 54 year construction window of St. Mary’s which was completed in 1875 as the largest building complex in San Antonio.

Today the location of St. Mary’s is bounded by the Riverwalk, St. Mary’s Street, College Street, and Navarro Street. But possibly best viewed from Crockett street or river elevation from across the river to see the longest continuous stretch of the building.

There are many historic attractions to see in San Antonio, but few that give credit to one person whose work was devoted to the building of such an important and impressive structure. Brother Francis and his crew lifted the limestone blocks, placed the mortar, plastered the walls, and built to accommodate the growing college and their mission of education.

In the mid 60’s the exterior was changed to a Spanish style and a six-story addition was added (far-right in the photo above). The building was converted to the La Mansión del Rio hotel along the way, yet the experience of the rooms(dorm rooms), courtyards(sports areas), and lecture halls(conference rooms) is very evident. Knowing this history a stay at the hotel allows one a pleasant reflection on college life along the Riverwalk within the masterpiece built by Brother Francis.

The building was appropriately recorded as a Texas Historic Landmark in 1969.