St. Mark's Episcopal Church

Located across the street from Travis Park, St. Mark's Episcopal Church is a beautiful Gothic Revival church built in 1875. The other structures, including the parish hall and education building, were erected in the 1900s. The church features buttresses, steep roofs, angled walls, and stained glass windows—all typical features of Gothic architecture. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.

The congregation was established in 1858. At the time, the city was a frontier outpost and difficult to get to. Nonetheless, the congregation pushed forward and hired famous New York City church architect, Richard Upjohn, to design it. The church is the only one Texas he designed and one of the few of his west of the Mississippi River. Before the war, Col. (and later, General) Robert E. Lee was stationed in San Antonio and was an active member of the church, leading a number of parish activities. 

It took along time for the church to be completed. Construction began in December 1859 but the Civil War and the turmoil of the Reconstruction era prevented it from being finished until 1875. As stated above, the other buildings (and additions to the church) were completed in the 1900s.

"History of St. Mark's Episcopal Church." St. Mark's Episcopal Church. Accessed May 1, 2019. https://www.stmarks-sa.org/about-us/history-of-st-marks.

Jim Steely & Mary Dillman. "St. Mark's Episcopal Church." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. February 12, 1998.  https://atlas.thc.state.tx.us/NR/pdfs/98000103/98000103.pdf.

"St. Mark's Episcopal Church." The Historical Marker Database. Accessed May 1, 2019.  https://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=132556.

Photo: The Historical Marker Database