Historic Downton San Angelo Magazine Spring 2021

Historic

Spring 2021

DOWNTOWN San Angelo

BUILDING DOWNTOWN • ONE BLOCK AT A TIME

www.downtownsanangelo.com

Welcome to Historic Downtown San Angelo, where a mix of modern art and a Western heritage create a socially inclusive experience.

Explore, play, dine, celebrate, shop, and relax with your family and friends. The words used to describe Historic Downtown San Angelo are as numerous and diverse as the people who live and visit here.

Del Velasquez Executive Director

Downtown San Angelo, Inc. 24 West Concho Avenue San Angelo, TX 76903 Phone: 325-655-2345 Fax: 325-655-1234 E-mail: director@dtsa.org

Keep up with all things Downtown by following us on FaceBook!

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HISTORIC DOWNTOWN SAN ANGELO

THE SOUL OF THE CITY

BY LINDA THORSEN BOND

The heart of any city is usually its downtown. It’s the spot where the town began, where businesses started and streets sprang up. But downtown is more than that—it’s also the soul of the city. And that soul is never more evident than in the beautiful historic churches in downtown San Angelo.

Some of the churches were built before the turn of the century—the twentieth century, that is. The First Christian and the First Methodist churches were established in 1882 and First Baptist started in 1883. The first building was the Catholic Church in 1884. Once the churches got started downtown, they proliferated and by 1989 San Angelo had more than 175 churches and a synagogue

across the 58 square miles of the city.

Oscar Ruffini (1858-1957), was the first professional architect in San Angelo and its principal early architect.

Not all of the historic churches were created by Ruffini, but his fans will find excellent examples of his creations here. Not too far from the central downtown area there is a brand-new chapel built from his 100-year-old blueprints.

The historic churches are within walking distance of each other, or at least a short drive apart. In addition there’s the story of a “miracle church” that’s a little outside the earliest timeline but has quite an interesting history.

The following pages provide a map for you to use to discover the soul of the city.

When architect Oscar Ruffini stepped out of a stagecoach in the tiny West Texas town of San Angelo, he was very sick. His last hope of getting well in 1884 was the hot, dry air of the rowdy frontier town beside Fort Concho. It worked--he lived to be 98 years old and created a legacy of buildings that still stand today.

Ruffini designed almost 40 buildings, including many of the churches in downtown San Angelo and he helped found the Texas State Architecture Association.

One of his first churches was a small wooden chapel built in 1886 for the Presbyterian Church. When the present Presbyterian sanctuary was completed in 1908, Ruffini’s small chapel was sold and moved near the Santa Fe Railroad tracks and used as a warehouse. Eventually it burned.

In 2019, members of First Presbyterian Church had one of Ruffini’s designs rebuilt using drawings he made over 100 years ago. The new Ruffini Chapel in the Old Town Historic District looks just like the First Presbyterian Church Chapel the architect designed in 1886. Near the railroad tracks, the chapel is as lovely as the day it was built long ago. It can be reserved and rented for weddings and other events.

There are also two houses he designed in the Historic District, where very old homes were moved and revitalized, rather than allowing them to be torn down. Visiting the Ruffini Chapel is not as close as the historic houses, but it is very near Fort Concho and the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts.

OSCAR RUFFINI - ARCHITECT 1 0 0 -Y E A R O L D B LU E P R I N T O F C H A P E L P H OTO B Y B R U C E R . PA R TA I N DOWNTOWNSANANGELO.COM

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CHURCHES OF DOWNTOWN S A N A N G E LO

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First United Methodist Church, 37 E. Beauregard at Oakes Methodism was spread in the frontier by ministers called Circuit Riders.

Andrew Jackson “Parson” Potter, a Methodist Circuit Rider, came to the Concho Valley area in 1880 and established the Union Sunday School at Ben Ficklin.

The Union Sunday School moved to Santa Angela, a settlement called “over the river” after the flood in 1882.

Potter began to preach in the saloons in 1882. With a six shooter on his side, a Winchester on the pulpit, and a Bible and a songbook in his hands, he obtained enough money from a poker game to build the first church building in San Angela (later renamed San Angelo). They put together a 40 by s60-foot frame building with a cupola-- said to be the first Protestant church house between Mason and El Paso.

Rapid growth soon necessitated a 20-foot addition for nursery and choir loft. The building became a community center for various social and religious occasions. The frame church was replaced in 1904 by a large masonry building in the square "Akron" style then in vogue. The four-story educational building was added in 1962. First United Methodist Church, known as the “historical cathedral” church, has been noted for the fine pipe organ and beautiful stained-glass windows.

Cathedral of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 19 S. Oakes Catholic priests visited the Concho River area in the 17th and 18th centuries, but modern Catholicism began after the founding of Fort Concho in 1867. Father Mathurin J. Pairier began visiting here in 1874. He cared for the Catholics of Fort Concho, Ben Ficklin, and San Angelo. On September 22, 1874, he accepted a donation of land, known as "The Catholic Block," from San Angelo promoter Bart J. DeWitt.

After the county seat moved to San Angelo in 1882, Father Pairier began plans for a church building. Completed in 1884, the stone edifice was the first church building in San Angelo. Known as Immaculate Conception, the parish included Mexican, English, Irish, and German Catholics. In 1888, Father John Sheehan, the second pastor, welcomed the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word of San Antonio, who started a Catholic school.

A portion of the block was sold in 1906 when a new church building was constructed under Father Joseph Hoban. This church became known as Sacred Heart. In 1961 Pope John XXIII established the Diocese of San Angelo with Sacred Heart as the Cathedral Church. It is the mother church for many Catholic parishes in West Texas.

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SOME OF THE CHURCHES WERE B U I LT B E F O R E THE TURN OF T H E C E N T U R Y— THE TWENTIETH C E N T U R Y, T H AT I S .

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ONCE THE CHURCHES GOT STARTED DOWNTOWN, THEY PROLIFERATED AND BY 1989 SAN ANGELO HAD MORE THAN 175 CHURCHES AND A SYNAGOGUE ACROSS THE 58 SQUARE MILES OF THE CITY.

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HISTORIC DOWNTOWN SAN ANGELO

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SAN ANGELO’S SOUL SHINES FROM T H E H I STO R I C C H U RC H E S T H AT ANCHOR DOWNTOWN. FOR OVER 100 YEARS THEY HAVE BEEN STANDING ALMOST SHOULDER TO SHOULDER. A STROLL THROUGH SAN ANGELO’S HISTORIC DOWNTOWN SERVES AS A REMINDER THAT IT TAKES DIFFERENT DOMINATIONS TO MAKE A TOWN A HOME. AND NO MATTER WHAT THE BRICKS AND MORTAR LOOK LIKE, IT IS THE PEOPLE INSIDE WHO MAKE THE CHURCHES THE SOUL OF THE CIT Y.

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MEMBER

Spotlight Thank you to our Patron Level members

Learn more about the Downtown San Angelo, Inc. membership program at www.DowntownSanAngelo.com 16

HISTORIC DOWNTOWN SAN ANGELO

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Exhibiting Now at the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts:

True Texas: Folk & Traditional Arts of the Concho Valley An exhibition of fine craft and folk artistry from twenty-two makers across nine counties in the Concho Valley.

September 18 – November 29, 2020 Museum hours: Tuesday - Saturday 11 am to 4 pm; Sunday 1 pm to 4 pm; closed Monday. Please wear a mask.

Also on exhibit: The Angelo State University Art Faculty Biennial Exhibition

1 Love St. San Angelo, TX | SAMFA.ORG | (325) 653-3333 Supported by: the National Endowment for the Arts, Texas Commission on the Arts, & San Angelo Cultural Affairs Council

Stroll San Angelo welcomes you to the Downtown Stroll.

Visitors are invited to explore the best art, food, and fun that downtown has to offer.

(Meets at the Museum of Fine Arts)

July 1 October 28 Wide variety of literary genres Young adult and children's books Adults and children's gift boxes Psalm of the Wild Baskets Book Bags, puzzles, calendars, and more 506 South Chadbourne San Angelo, TX 76903 325-703-5151 Monday-Friday (10 AM—6 PM Saturday (10 AM—5 PM) oldtownbookstx.com staff@oldtownbookstx.com

November 25 December 16

LIKE and FOLLOW our FACEBOOK page for updates: @SADownTownStrong For any questions or general informtion regarding the Downtown Stroll email info@dtsa.org

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