Annunciation Church

The Annunciation Church is a Catholic church located at the corner of Texas and Crawford in downtown Houston, Texas. Annunciation Church sprung from the congregation at St. Vincent's, Houston's first Catholic church. In 1866, Father Joseph Querat and Galveston Bishop Claude M. Debuis believed the congregation was outgrowing the old building and started planning for a new one. The congregation chose the name for the planned building, "Church of the Annunciation." The original architect is unknown, but was dedicated on September 10, 1871. Nicholas Clayton altered the building, adding the bell tower twin towers in 1884. The property is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The church remains Houston's oldest existing church and, as such, the property was eventually faced with a foundation problem. A large void had developed underneath the church’s southwest corner and, symptomatically, the foundation subsided. Through a polymer injection process work at Annunciation Catholic Church was completed in two days with minimal disruption to mass and parishioners. Annunciation Church, Houston, TX (Postcard, circa 1907)