Tax Credit Program Highlight: Moye Retreat Center

History

Castroville, named for French empresario Henry Castro, was first settled by immigrants from the Alsace region of France in 1840. Many of the extant residences and buildings reflect Alsatian architectural style from this period: small, often austere, stuccoed limestone structures with red tin or cyprus shingle roofs. The Moye Retreat Center, constructed in 1873 for the Sisters of Divine Providence, typifies this style. Since 1900, the Moye Retreat Center has been repurposed as a school house, a seminary, a refuge, and military school housing. The building was reacquired by the Sisters of Divine Providence in 1939, and has been used as a training center for religious life from 1972 through the present.

Rehabilitation Project

This project focused on the rehabilitation of the Moye Retreat Center, locally known as the first schoolhouse of Castroville, after being gutted by a fire caused by lightning striking the roof in 2017. The roof, attic, and second floor were destroyed by the fire except for the historic wood windows that remained surprisingly intact and were able to be repaired. The interior was returned to the configuration and finishes the building had prior to the fire, which reflected the 1970’s renovation of the building. A new ADA compliant bathroom, ramp and wood porch were constructed to improve the sites accessibility. The architect was additionally able to reconstruct the roof and cupola based on historic photographic documentation.