UIW Celebrates Centennial Moment for Landmark Building

December 3, 2021

Cornerstone of Iconic Administration Building Laid 100 Years Ago

Front of the administration buildingSan Antonio – This Friday, Dec. 3 marks the 100 th anniversary of a milestone moment for the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW). On this day in 1921, the cornerstone of UIW’s most iconic building – the Columkille Administration Building – was laid. The façade of the building has come to be a landmark, immediately recognizable as a symbol of the University.

The book, Promises to Keep, written by Sr. Margaret Patrice Slattery, CCVI, president emerita, recounts the history of the University and the details of that day 100 years ago. An elaborate ceremony celebrated the significance of the day with a grand procession. Students, music, Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word with novices, and 30 priests processed ahead of then-Bishop The cornerstone of the administration building of San Antonio, Right Reverend Arthur J. Drossaerts. The building was one of three constructed at the time, for a total cost of $500,000, that would serve as the foundation of the University. When it opened in 1922, it was described as “the greatest Catholic educational enterprise in the State.”

“Our Administration Building is a reflection of our rich history and tremendous growth,” said Dr. Thomas M. Evans, UIW president. “Named for Mother Columkille Colbert, our first president, the building has welcomed generations of students who would live and learn under its roof. Even as our university has grown by leaps and bounds since that day 100 years ago, the Administration Building stands ready to welcome generations of future students.”

The Administration Building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places by the U.S. Department of the Interior.

UIW’s community has grown in countless ways since this day 100 years ago, but the building’s façade looks much today as it did then and serves as a reminder of the vision of the University’s founding congregation, the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, and all that they have made possible for UIW and all of San Antonio.