Art & Architecture
Our unique and growing campus
December 03, 2007
The Central Catholic campus on North St.
Mary's Street opened in 1932. The distinctive art deco style
was designed by the Dreisoerner firm of St. Louis, and incorporated
many brick crosses in the facade decoration. Engineering
included the use of prestressed concrete, a new technique for its
day. During the early decade, only the basement and first two
main floors were in use, the third floor being built out during the
late 1940s. A full-size football stadium and track were added
in the 1980s and expanded early in the new century. The
activity center was purchased and transformed into a band hall
between the 1970s and 1990s. The latest structure, seen as a
red-roofed building and patio on the left side of this picture, is
the Alia Herrera park and pavilion, which provides facilities for
gatherings and for the visitors' stands. Future planned
development includes a convocation and athletic facility in the
area on the lower right of the photo above.
Three religious statues constitute the art connected with the building. At the centenary of the Immaculate Conception, the school erected a statue of Mary as the Immaculata on the St. Mary's Street side. At the 1961 bicentennary of Blessed Father Chaminade, Bro Mel Meyer's statue of the founder went on the Augusta street side. Then, at the sesquicentennial of the school (2002), St. Joseph the Protector graced the other side of the Augusta entrance.
St. Joseph the Protector
