The Church and School kicked off a $10 million capital campaign to restore and enhance facilities severely damaged by flooding during Hurricane Harvey
Houston, TX – On November 2, 2019, Saint Thomas’ Episcopal Church and School (STE), a congregation and private K-12 college preparatory school in the Meyerland area, held a groundbreaking ceremony for a state-of-the-art academic building and renovation of its church sanctuary. STE also celebrated the kickoff of its $10 million capital campaign, Fulfilling the Promise, with speakers, performances and a party for its community.
Construction of the new campus is expected to begin in early 2020, with church renovations complete in four to six months and the new academic building complete in 14 months. All construction is expected to be complete in 2021. In 2017, flooding from Hurricane Harvey severely damaged nearly 70 percent of the buildings on STE’s campus. Church renovations will repair damage caused by the flood while providing critical mechanical and infrastructure upgrades. The new academic building will provide classroom space, technology upgrades and parking space to meet the needs of STE’s current and future students.
Capital Campaign Chairs Kirsten Shaw Herrscher (STE class of 1981) and Roger Herrscher stunned the audience of 400 STE church members, parents, alumni, faculty and staff present at the campaign kickoffcelebration by announcing that $7 million had already been raised prior to the campaign kickoff. Texas State Representative, The Honorable Gene Wu (STE class of 1996) was the host for the evening. The program included several special guests: founder of WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival Hunter Todd, University of Chicago Dean of the Division of Humanities Anne Walters Robertson (STE class of 1970) and the Rt. Rev. Hector Monterroso, bishop assistant for the Episcopal Diocese of Texas.
“Our renovated sanctuary will be a beautiful space for our parishioners and students to worship, and our new academic building will meet the needs of students for years to come,” said The Reverend David Browder, rector of STE.
“We’re building a campus not just for our existing students, but for future generations,” Capital Campaign Chair Kirsten Shaw Herrscher said. “With the academic building’s larger classrooms and technology upgrades, our students will graduate ready to be leaders in Houston and in communities across the United States.”
STE worked with architectural firm Merriman Holt Powell to develop the master plan for the construction, and has engaged commercial construction firm Tellepsen for the construction and renovation work.
For more information, visit www.stes.org/celebration.
