Frank Architects spearheads restoration of old St. Augustine School campus

 

By María Eugenia Guerra

 

With the blessing of the Diocese of Laredo and Bishop James A. Tamayo, a committee of St. Augustine High School alumni and parishioners have kicked off fundraising efforts to restore the old three-story St. Augustine School building adjacent to San Agustín Cathedral, a structure that served as a diocesan school from 1927 until 1976.

The old Gothic Revival style building holds many cherished memories for thousands of Laredo school children who attended classes there and graduated.

The Laredo firm of Frank Architects was selected for the restoration project., which will be spearheaded by Frank Rotnofsky, Viviana Frank, and Eduardo Quiroga.

To hear architect Rotnofsky tell it, the restoration of an old building begins and ends as a history lesson, one you understand immeasurably better at the end of the project. Well into the research phase for the restoration of the old school, its construction, its use over the last 77 years, and its importance to the community and those who were schooled there, Rotnofsky will -- after reviewing petrographic studies, paint investigations and analyses, and a timeline of renovations and additions -- end up knowing the exact makeup of the mortar between the bricks and will also know what the building's original interior and trim colors were.

“In our research, we always go back to the building's period of significance, the time it was built and when it was of the greatest use,” the Laredo architect said of the three-story, 28,000 square foot edifice adjacent to San Agustín Cathedral.

“We are asking former students to share photographs with us that will tell us about trim and light fixtures, details that may no longer be visible to us,” Rotnofsky said. “We have plenty to work with -- much of the original structure is very much intact, like the old stage, the pressed tin ceilings, the wooden floors, but we can always use more detail,” he said.

“We will take great care to preserve surviving elements, but on the whole the restoration will be a gutting of all mechanical and plumbing which will be replaced,” said Rotnofsky, whose firm worked alongside Ford, Powell, and Carson Architects of San Antonio on the gutting and reconstruction of the old Hamilton Hotel, one of downtown's most historically significant restored landmarks.

“We plan to restore and replicate the original wooden windows of St. Augustine School and to use the ones we take out for parts. The hardwood floors will be repaired, refinished, and re-stained. The old stage will be cleaned and painted,” Rotnofsky said, noting that the rake in the auditorium floor was leveled when the school was in use so that the students would have a gym and multipurpose room for social events and school ceremonies. “The stage is completely intact and still features its pressed tin ceiling and original curtain,” he said. The stage measures 35.5 feet in width and 20 feet in depth and also has 15 feet backstage.

“Though we will modernize the school by bringing in an elevator to allow accessibility for everyone, this will remain a restoration, so much so that when you walk through the door, you will understand that you are walking into a school built in 1927,” said Rotnofsky, who with members of his staff are wrapping up the historical restoration of the Dimmit County Courthouse. Rotnofsky said the original Dimmit County courthouse was built in 1889 in the Italian ornate style, a structure incorporated and encapsulated into a 1926 addition which was was built in the neoclassical style. The latter is the period of significance that was studied before the restoration began.

“We will apply to St. Augustine School many of the restoration and preservation principles we applied to the Dimmit County Courthouse. We'll peel away layers of paint to find the original colors. As you peel away modern veneers, you are solving mysteries, construction mysteries. The only thing we won't touch at St. Augustine is the standing seam roof which was put on eight years ago,” Rotnofsky said.

Once the restoration is complete, the Diocese will end up with a beautiful building that could house the parish offices of San Agustín Cathedral, a resource center, a library for the pastoral offices, a proposed distance learning center, and CCD classrooms.

“ St. Augustine School is significant to many Laredo families. The school is an integral part of the founding plaza, where Laredo was established. The completion of the renovation of the school will complement completed renovations of the cathedral and the rectory,” Rotnofsky said.

“The school holds many memories for those of us who grew up in the downtown area and attended school at that location,” said Paty Guajardo, fiscal officer for the Diocese of Laredo. “I believe that today the building has a greater value than just a part of our school memories. As downtown Laredo works on various revitalization projects, I know that this building can become an integral part of our downtown community. The building has the potential to serve as a historic center for community events and gatherings. Our research has shown that the auditorium can be restored to its original grandeur. The classrooms are needed for the Cathedral parish as well as for the community. For some time we have been discussing this project; however, we needed community input. Now with the help of the alumni that have come forward to spearhead this campaign, I can see it moving forward and becoming a reality.”

Alumni members of the restoration committee include Dr. José Roberto Juarez, Emma Santos Mejia, and Mercurio Martinez, Jr. They are working in tandem with a diocesan committee comprised of Guajardo, Rotnofksy, Bishop Tamayo, Tomás Rodriguez, Deacon Miguel Vallarta, Fr. Jacinto Olguin, and Gabriel Castillo.