To our namesake Francois Giraud, architect, we owe the lovely 1851 Ursuline Academy buildings. The Club Giraud occupies the Academy’s original “dependencies” — its early kitchen, carriage sheds, music rooms and laundry.
To Francois Giraud, conservationist, we owe San Antonio’s first public park, San Pedro Springs. In 1852 he persuaded the city to set aside the plot of land around the Springs, making it the second public park in the United States, the first being in Boston. His pioneer efforts preceded Olmstead’s plans for Central Park in New York by five years.
He designed other important buildings, supervised restoration of the Alamo and San Fernando Cathedral, became city engineer and ultimately, San Antonio’s mayor. With the exception of the Ursuline buildings and St. Mary’s University, his work has not survived the ravages of “progress.”
Born in Charleston in 1818 and educated in France, Giraud and his family came to San Antonio in 1847. In the preceding decade of the Republic, San Antonio had been a war zone. Continual skirmishes with Indians and Mexicans had left the town virtually destroyed and, with a population of just 800, stagnant. The missions were in ruins.
To revitalize the Catholic Church in Texas, Bishop Jean-Marie Odin arrived in San Antonio in 1842 and set in motion the French influence on frontier Texas education. A first step was establishing a school for girls in San Antonio. Bishop Odin hired the newly arrived French architect, Francois Giraud, to design and supervise the building of the Ursuline Academy and Convent from 1848 to 1849.
Undeterred by the wolves and wilderness to the north, or the occasional naked Indian streaking through their gardens on the south, the Ursuline nuns persevered and for more than 100 years provided a sanctuary of learning and culture on the banks of the San Antonio River. But in 1965 the nuns moved north to a new campus, selling the downtown site in parcels to a developer and to the San Antonio Conservation Society.
The Conservation Society bought the Chapel, Priest’s House and First Academy Building and in 1971 invited the Southwest Craft Center to relocate its art school there. Four years later, the school purchased the Conservation Society property, and due to the tireless work of its early supporters, eventually came to own the entire original site, including what is now Club Giraud.
The Southwest School of Art began in 1968 as a gallery in the historic La Villita area of downtown “to provide education in handcrafts and the arts.” Moving to the historic Ursuline site enabled the art school to expand enrollment, eventually offering classes in ceramics, sculpture, painting, jewelry, book arts, photography, printmaking, fiber, digital imaging, glass, and more. Saturday Morning Discovery, a free children’s program that’s now in its fourth decade, provides a first art adventure for many local families.
Today, the historic Ursuline Academy and Convent is part of The University of Texas at San Antonio and home to UTSA Arts community programs. Recognized as one the most comprehensive community art schools in the country, it welcomes over 250,000 visitors and students annually through its vibrant campus, renowned exhibition galleries, and dynamic community programs. The curriculum is enriched by regular workshops and nationally acclaimed visiting artists, fostering a thriving environment for creative exploration and artistic excellence.
Established in 1981, Club Giraud was founded with three guiding missions – beyond its dedication to exceptional cuisine and warm hospitality. First, to preserve the historic buildings it inhabits; second, to contribute to the ongoing restoration of the Ursuline complex, a site listed on the National Registry of Historic Places and designated a Texas Landmark; and third, to support a distinguished visual arts school. The unique integration of school, galleries, and club within the Ursuline Academy and Convent exemplifies the concept of “adaptive reuse of historic structures,” a cornerstone of modern preservation efforts. We believe Francois Giraud would wholeheartedly approve.