Paul Felix Annunciation Catholic Church was the second Catholic Church established in Houston and was an outgrowth of the original St Vincent’s established in 1839. It was the work of the Very Rev. Joseph Querat, a canon of the Cathedral in Lyons, France and a missionary to Texas from 1852 -1878. In 1866 the bishop of Galveston, Claude M. Dubuis, purchased from Peter W. Gray the half block at Texa
s and Crawford streets for $2,000. Texas architect Nicholas J. Clayton designed the structure using the Gothic forms of European cathedrals. The bricks from the old Harris County Courthouse were purchased and used for the construction of the church which was started in 1867 and completed in 1874. On April 25, 1869, the cornerstone was laid by dignitaries who marched to this site from old St Vincent’s; the sacristy and steeple were added between 1881 and 1884. Standing near the business center of Houston, Annunciation was the home of the city’s early leaders and has continued to minister to the faithful of Houston and thousands of visitors each year. Although the founding pastor planned an edifice in a style worthy of a Cathedral, it never gained that status. The church is located at the corner of Texas Ave and Crawford and is the oldest existing church building in the city. Nicholas J. Clayton was the man most responsible for the remarkable buildings found in Houston and Galveston. In addition to Annunciation Church, Clayton's work includes the Bishop's Palace, St Patrick's, St. Mary's, Sacred Heart, St. Mary's University, St. Mary's Cathedral in Austin, and Ursuline Academy in Dallas and many others...
Annunciation was recorded as a Texas historic landmark 1969.
