Our Lady of the Lake grew out of the work of the Sisters of Divine Providence, a French teaching order that arrived in Texas in 1866 and moved its motherhouse to this lakeside tract on San Antonio's West Side in 1895. Architect James Wahrenberger gave the campus its spiky Gothic skyline, and Leo M. J. Dielmann added a soaring chapel in the 1920s. In 1923 the school became the first college in San Antonio to earn regional accreditation. This short walk takes in the restored Main Building, the chapel, two early halls, and the lake that gives the university its name.
Our Lady of the Lake is one of San Antonio's architectural surprises: a cluster of spiky Gothic towers on the city's West Side, set on the shore of the lake that gives the university its name. This short walk explores how a French teaching order built a college here and how that campus has endured for more than a century, including a fire that nearly took its signature building.
The story starts with the Sisters of Divine Providence, who arrived in Texas in 1866 and moved their motherhouse to this lakeside tract in 1895. The Main Building, begun that year, is the campus emblem; a four-alarm fire in 2008 destroyed its roof and top floor, and the restoration that reopened it in 2010 won preservation honors at the city, state and national level. Nearby, St. Ann's Hall shows off architect James Wahrenberger's love of sharp gables and pinnacles, and together the two buildings form the historic heart of campus.
The spiritual centerpiece is Sacred Heart Conventual Chapel, designed by Leo M. J. Dielmann in the 1920s with a French Gothic exterior, an English Gothic interior and stained glass from Emil Frei's St. Louis studio. Its spire is visible across the surrounding neighborhoods.
From the shore of Elmendorf Lake Park, renovated in 2017 with new trails, you get the classic view of the chapel spire and Main Building rising above the trees. At about half a mile, it's an easy, rewarding look at a campus that has faced the water since the 1890s.
Around Our Lady of the Lake University
The spire of Sacred Heart Conventual Chapel rising over the Our Lady of the Lake campus. Photo: Zereshk, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia CommonsAerial photograph of Our Lady of the Lake College and the lakeshore, from a National Archives series dated March 1940. Photo: Unknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia CommonsA shaded garden courtyard on the Our Lady of the Lake campus. Photo: Zereshk, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Watch: Our Lady of the Lake University
Where it starts
The tour begins in San Antonio. Open Texas Roam to follow the full route stop by stop, with directions and audio narration as you go.
How long is the Our Lady of the Lake University Campus Tour?
It is a self-guided walking tour: 5 stops, about 0.5 miles, ~30 min. Go at your own pace; the app keeps your place.
Where does it start?
In San Antonio, Texas. The exact starting point, the full stop list and turn-by-turn directions are in the TexasRoam app.
How do I take this tour?
Download TexasRoam for iPhone or iPad from the App Store. The tour is included with TexasRoam+. It is not available on the web map.
When is the best time to go?
Visit in daylight: the historic buildings and chapel exterior are best seen from outside, and the walk finishes on the public lakeside trails of Elmendorf Lake Park.
Take the “Our Lady of the Lake University Campus Tour”
Texas Roam guides you turn by turn through San Antonio with maps, audio narration and check-ins as you go — plus all 5 stops on this tour and every guided tour, hiking trail and historical marker across Texas. Get it on the App Store.
Guided tours & hiking trails are available only in the TexasRoam app for iPhone & iPad — not on the web map. Free to download; unlock with TexasRoam+.
