HCC to celebrate historic 100-year-old-building birthday bash
Aug 18, 2014
Public invited to celebrate “San Jac 100” HCC’s historic 100-year-old-building birthday bash September 18th and 19th
It has been six major educational institutions in its 100-year life. Now the San Jacinto Memorial Building – the remarkable and beautiful classical revival and Art Deco masterwork on the campus of HCC Central – is having its 100th birthday, and HCC is planning to celebrate it in style.
“San Jac 100” is the official two-day celebration for the building. A ribbon cutting and community celebration takes place 10 a.m., Thursday, September 18th, 2014, at the front entrance of the building at 1300 Holman Street. Festivities include a formal program with college, city and political dignitaries, public tours of the building and other “100-themed” events.
“The San Jac is the centerpiece of HCC Central and the birthplace of HCC,” says Dr. William W. Harmon, president of HCC Central. “It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. We invite all of Houston to celebrate this educational treasure as we look forward to its next 100 years.”
Here is a schedule of events for San Jac 100:
Thursday, September 18:
- 10 a.m. – Ribbon cutting / grand opening / formal program with dignitaries, San Jac alumni, HCC administration and community leaders
- 11:30 a.m. – “100” Picture – human formation of the number 100. Rear courtyard, San Jac
- Noon – “100 Cake” – Conservatory, 2nd floor, San Jac
- 12:30 p.m. – Movie - Casablanca – Auditorium, San Jac
- 12:30 p.m. – San Jac Fitness Center grand opening, 1st floor, San Jac
- 1 – 3 p.m. – Building tours. Meet at information desk, 1st floor, San Jac
- 4 p.m. – GROUP 21, R&B/Pop duo, performs live, Auditorium, San Jac
- Scavenger Hunt – 9 to 4 p.m., Information Desk, first floor, San Jac
Friday, September 19
- 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. – Building tours, Meet at Information desk, 1st floor, San Jac
- Red-Carpet Social – (By invitation only for Houston dignitaries, community leaders, alumni, HCC administration and guests) 5:30 – 8 p.m., 1st and 2nd floors, San Jac
The San Jacinto Memorial Building opened in 1914 as South End Junior High School. Revolutionary in concept and design, the building featured both academic and vocational areas, sprawling athletic fields and the city’s first indoor swimming pool, which was used by Rice University’s women’s swim team until one could be built on its own campus. Eccentric billionaire businessman Howard Hughes was a student of South End Junior High.
In 1926, as the city’s population began to soar, the building was converted into a high school and renamed San Jacinto H. S. For the next 45 years, the high school helped educate a litany of prominent and celebrated citizens: internationally famous heart surgeon Dr. Denton Cooley, distinguished newsman Walter Cronkite, Indy race-car driver A. J. Foyt, oil wildcatter and Shamrock Hotel developer Glenn McCarthy, Astrodome visionary and builder Roy Hofheinz, Hollywood actress Gale Storm, Houston mayor Kathy Whitmire, Houston Chronicle publisher Richard J. V. Johnson, Houston Chronicle society columnist Maxine Mesinger and many others.
In 1927, the San Jac served as the home of Houston Junior College. The institution remained in this location until 1934, when it became a four-year university - the University of Houston - and relocated to southeast Houston. To accommodate more students, two wings were added the building – in 1928 and 1936 – and were designed to mirror each other.
In 1971, the school simultaneously housed HISD’s High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA) and Houston Technical Institute. HTI remained in the San Jac until 1979 and spawned HISD’s Barbara Jordan High School for Careers on the Eastex Freeway. HSPVA occupied the San Jac and the nearby historic Heinen Theatre until 1981.
Houston Community College began holding classes in the San Jac in 1971. HCC had already been using the nearby historic Heinen Theatre as its fine arts center. In 1986, HCC bought the San Jac and other campus buildings from HISD outright. A year later, the state Legislature allowed HCC to break away from HISD and form its own taxing district.
After conducting several cosmetic renovations over the years, HCC decided in 2009 to spend $60 million dollars to completely restore and modernize the San Jac. The project took three years to complete. In January 2013, HCC Central’s administration and students returned to a much more attractive and technically advanced San Jac, which remains the crown jewel of HCC’s campus buildings.
HCC’s celebration focuses on the building’s place in Houston’s educational landscape. For many years, the San Jac was where many Houston residents received their high-school diplomas. Its distinction as the birthplace of U of H and HCC and other institutions is unique and unchallenged.
The San Jac’s architectural richness is another point of pride for the San Jac 100 celebration.
HCC invites all alumni of the San Jacinto building to attend the special events planned for September 18-19.
“We welcome all alumni to see how the building looks now,” says Dr. Harmon. “It’s an old building with modern touches, a true rarity in Houston. She looks great.”