{"nrhp_refnum":"73001964","name":"St. Mary's Cathedral","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"2011 Church Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Galveston","county":"Galveston County","state":"TX","lat":29.304063633000055,"lon":-94.79017643299994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1973-06-04","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Religion"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A cruciform Gothic Revival Catholic cathedral at 2011 Church Avenue in Galveston, Texas, built in 1847-48 of stucco-covered brick, with twin front towers and a central lantern.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it the oldest religious structure in Galveston and one of the city's earliest surviving buildings. It is significant for its architecture and as a record of the growth of the Catholic church in Texas. It also served the community through epidemics, storms and the Civil War, and it is the seat of the Diocese of Galveston.","narrative":"St. Mary's Cathedral is a Gothic Revival church on Church Avenue in Galveston, built in 1847-48 and still serving as the official church of the Diocese of Galveston. Its brick walls are stucco-covered and scored to resemble stone, and the cruciform plan includes a central nave, side aisles, transepts and an apse under a trussed wooden roof. Architect Nicholas J. Clayton added the central lantern in 1876 after the 1875 storm, then raised the twin front spires in 1884. A statue of Mary, Star of the Sea, crowns the tower as a symbol of protection from storms. The building is described as the oldest religious structure in Galveston. Its bricks came from Antwerp, sent as a memorial to Father Odin, who became the first Bishop of Galveston when the diocese was created in 1847. Priests here ministered during yellow fever epidemics and the Civil War battle, and residents drew comfort from the statue during the 1900 hurricane.","period_of_significance":"19th Century (specific date 1848)","architect_builder":"Nicholas J. Clayton (lantern added 1876, spires heightened 1884, repairs supervised 1900)","architectural_style":"Gothic Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Condition marked excellent and altered; occupied, in religious use, and remains the official church of the Diocese of Galveston.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:18.633767-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/34/9720/40972034/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/73001964.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73001964/53e92e872d-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73001964/53e92e872d-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Photo By: Nick Saum","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_Mary%27s_Cathedral_Basilica,_Galveston.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Photo By: Nick Saum</a>, <a href=\"http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_Mary%27s_Cathedral_Basilica,_Galveston.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40972034","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Mary_Cathedral_Basilica_(Galveston,_Texas)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7590467"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/galveston-county/st-marys-cathedral-73001964/"}