St. John’s Seminary was established in 1920 adjacent to Mission Concepción, one of just twenty-four UNESCO World Heritage Site in the United States. From 1920 to 1969 the seminary flourished, serving students of the Archdiocese of San Antonio by providing a pathway to priesthood. In 1969, the seminary moved to it’s present day location and the original site was utilized by the Patrician Movement, a substance abuse program until 2011. For 5 years the facilities were abandoned and the grounds subjected to vandalism and destruction.
Archdiocese of San Antonio
Fisher Heck
Design-Bid-Build
In Progress
14,500
$5,810,000
Beginning in 2015 much of the 13 acre property was sold off and developers began reutilizing buildings on the campus, converting them into The St. John Apartment Buildings. The Archdiocese retained control of the former chapel, cafeteria, and convent. In late 2020, Marksmen General Contractors was selected to begin the revitalization project for two of the remaining buildings. The old cafeteria, being converted into offices for Catholic Churches, and an existing chapel, being converted for use as a visitors center, interpretive center, presentation space, café, and gift shop. The revitalization of the spaces is an effort by the Archdiocese to bring the World Heritage Missions and Catholic history into focus. During the preconstruction phase, our team proposed value engineering savings equal to 13% of the original construction contract. The Archdiocese ultimately chose not to take any of the value engineering options and full scope of the project. Due to the age and condition of the buildings, extensive abatement and demolition was necessary before renovation could occur. Both buildings were completely gutted, revealing issues with the existing glue laminated beams in the existing chapel.