Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church

Significance

Our Lady of Guadalupe, established in the Second Ward in 1911, was the first Mexican American Catholic church in Houston and the first religious institution in the city to offer services in Spanish. At the time, there were no Mexican Catholic churches in Houston, and Mexican worshippers faced exclusion and discrimination at other parishes. The Diocese of Galveston brought priests of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate to serve the growing community. The present church opened in 1923, designed with Lombard Romanesque features by San Antonio architect Leo M. J. Dielmann. The parish opened one of the first schools for Mexican American children in Houston,. For more than a century it has been a center of faith, culture and social service for Houston's Mexican American community in the East End, with many masses still held in Spanish.

Climate risks tracked

The Second Ward sits close to Buffalo Bayou and the industrial east side, and much of the surrounding area is paved with limited tree cover. That makes heavy rain flooding and heat the two most practical concerns for the church and its school. Improving drainage around the site and adding shade trees would help the congregation and neighbors without touching the historic building. The brick church and its bell tower face hurricane wind on the tower and roof, and wind-driven rain can enter through aging mortar and window frames. Repointing with mortar matched to the original brick and keeping the roof in good repair are the most important steps to protect the 1923 building's brickwork and its role as an East End landmark.

Use the preservation assistant to talk through retrofit strategies for these specific threats.

Location

Nearby landmarks

• 1979 · Folk / Environmental art

  The Orange Show Monument

• 1915 · Industrial brick warehouse

  Houston Ship Channel Turning Basin Warehouses

• 1934 · Faux Bois (El Trabajo Rústico)

  Hidalgo Park Quiosco