Tax Credit Program Highlight: Reinbolt Hall

History

Reinbolt Hall is part of the historic nucleus of the St. Mary’s University campus (formerly called St. Louis College). This Gothic Revival brick and stone structure was the second building constructed on the campus, and designed to blend with the adjacent 1894 main building, St. Louis Hall. The functions originally housed in Reinbolt Hall included dormitories, classrooms, and a large chapel. The university was founded by the Society of Mary, a French order that established missions throughout the United States during the 19th century. In ordering the founding of the college in San Antonio, Bishop John Odin of New Orleans stated, “A good school alone will be able to regenerate the people since the city is swarming with children plunged in the depths of ignorance.”

Rehabilitation Project

As St. Mary’s University is a not-for-profit entity, the rehabilitation of this campus building was eligible for tax credits under the Texas Historic Preservation Tax Credit program. The work done to the building during this project included structural repairs and reinforcements to the roof trusses, reconstruction of the historic exterior chapel stair, repairs and alterations to the sunken areaway adjacent to the building, and construction of an elevator tower in an unobtrusive location to provide handicapped access to the building.