Last updated: August 20, 2026
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Harvey P. Smith and Preservation Beliefs in the 1900s
San Antonio Light Photograph Collection, UTSA Special Collections [1]
Architect Harvey P. Smith, with the Works Progress Administration, focused preservation efforts on ensuring the structures at Mission Espada reflected the Spanish colonial style to appeal to visitors.
During the Great Depression, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) initiated efforts to preserve historic buildings. With WPA support, architect Harvey P. Smith collaborated with the Archdiocese of San Antonio and others to stabilize and restore Mission Espada's deteriorating structures.2 In a letter from the period, he stated his intention to “put the building back as the Franciscan Padres originally built it”.3 Smith aimed to return the mission to its original Spanish colonial appearance by removing later additions. His efforts attempted to balance historical accuracy and touristic appeal with the church community's need for modern amenities such as electricity and plumbing.4
San Antonio Missions National Historical Park [7]
In the 1950s, to accommodate increased tourism, Smith was hired to convert parts of the parochial schoolrooms and bastion, later additions to the complex, into a visitor center and museum.5 To create an immersive Spanish colonial experience for the mission’s visitors, many structures added after the colonial era were removed as they were seen to detract from the site's “authentic” history.6
In 1955, Smith ordered the removal of Father Francis Bouchu's house on the convento's second floor. However, Smith did not realize that Bouchu's home was a rehabilitation of the original structure, not an addition that deserved removal according to his standards.
San Antonio Missions National Historical Park [8]
This approach reflected an early 1900s perspective that only structures from the "authentic" period warranted preservation. However, this philosophy limits understanding of the site's full history by excluding the experiences of those who lived at Mission Espada after secularization. While the efforts of Harvey P. Smith were essential to Mission Espada's survival, evolving preservation philosophies now highlight the importance of preserving a site's complete history rather than reducing it to a single narrative or time period.
[1] May 1, 1955, Harvey P. Smith, Archbishop Lucy, Louis Guido, and workers at Mission Espada restoration, L-4262-I, San Antonio Light Photograph Collection, UTSA Special Collections – ITC
[2] Smith, Harvey. P, Lecture at the annual American Institute of Architects, West Texas Chapter, January, 8, 1935.
[3] Ivey, James E.; M. B. Thurber; and S. Escobedo 1990 “Of Various Magnificence: The Architectural History of the San Antonio Mission in the Colonial Period and the Nineteenth Century.” Volume 1. National Park Service Professional Papers No. 1, Santa Fe. Manuscript on file, Center for Archaeological Research, The University of Texas at San Antonio.
[4] Letter from Harvey P. Smith Archives to Archbishop of San Antonio pertaining to exact repairs needed to Mission espada.
[5] Ivey, James E.; M. B. Thurber; and S. Escobedo 1990 “Of Various Magnificence: The Architectural History of the San Antonio Mission in the Colonial Period and the Nineteenth Century.” Volume 1. National Park Service Professional Papers No. 1, Santa Fe. Manuscript on file, Center for Archaeological Research, The University of Texas at San Antonio.
[6] Ibid.
[7] Smith, Harvey P. Restoration Drawings of Mission Espada. Civic Works Administration, 1934.
[8] Smith, Harvey P. Restoration Drawings of Mission Espada. Civic Works Administration, 1934.