Saint Ignatius Academy Building
Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The first Catholic School in Fort Worth, St. Ignatius Academy was organized by the Sisters of St. Mary of Namur in 1885. The first classes were held in a house purchased from Jacob Smith. This four-story limestone structure, used for classrooms and chapel, was completed in 1889. J.J. Kane designed the building, a good example of the Victorian Institutional style. School classes were conducted here until 1962.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Fort Worth's first Catholic school, St. Ignatius Academy, was founded in 1885 by the Sisters of St. Mary of Namur, who held their first classes in a purchased house. In 1889 they completed this four-story limestone building, designed by J. J. Kane in the Victorian Institutional style, to serve as classrooms and chapel. Classes continued here until 1962.
Why it matters
The academy marks the arrival of Catholic education in a growing Texas city and the central role of religious teaching orders — especially women — in building the region's schools.
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