St. Joseph's Catholic Church
Houston, Harris County, Texas
Marker Inscription
A school, founded by the Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament to serve Houston's Sixth Ward, opened near this site in 1879. St. Joseph's Parish, the third Catholic church organized in Houston, was founded in 1880 to serve the school and community. This Romanesque Revival structure, designed by Patrick S. Rabbit and built in 1901, replaced an earlier sanctuary destroyed in the 1900 storm. It features a basilica plan, extensive corbelled detailing, and decorative brickwork. Serving a multi-ethnic congregation, St. Joseph's is an integral part of the community. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1989
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
A school founded by the Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament opened in Houston's Sixth Ward in 1879, and St. Joseph's Parish — the city's third Catholic church — was organized the next year to serve it. The present Romanesque Revival structure, designed by Patrick S. Rabbit and built in 1901, replaced a sanctuary destroyed in the great 1900 storm. With its basilica plan and corbelled brickwork, it has long served a multi-ethnic congregation.
Why it matters
St. Joseph's reflects the immigrant Catholic communities that took root in industrializing Houston, and its rebuilding stands as testimony to the devastation of the 1900 Galveston hurricane.
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Related people
- · Patrick S. Rabbit
Related events
- · 1900 Galveston hurricane
Themes & tags
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