Leo M.J. Dielmann
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Leo Maria Joseph Dielmann (August 14, 1881 - December 21, 1969) was a prominent and prolific
architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
in Texas. He designed over 100 churches, with several of them, along with other buildings, now listed on the U.S.
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
. Dielmann was born in
San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...
to John C. Dielmann, a German immigrant, and Maria (Gros) Dielmann, the daughter of immigrants. His father was a stonemason who joined a construction and supply business, Pauly and Dielmann. An active Catholic layman, he was elected the first president of the St. Joseph's Society of St. Joseph's R.C. Church and then served as first president of the Deutsch Roemisch Katholischer Staatsverband von Texas (the Catholic State League of Texas). Leo M.J. Dielmann graduated from St Mary's College in San Antonio in 1898. Afterwards he studied architecture and engineering in Germany from about 1899 to 1901, including a visit to the Exposition Universelle (1900) in Paris that showcased Art Nouveau in art and architecture. He returned to spend three years in his father's business, before setting up his own practice. Like his father, Dielmann was a leading Catholic layman, as a member of the St. Joseph's Society of St. Joseph's R.C. Church, the
Knights of Columbus The Knights of Columbus (K of C) is a global Catholic fraternal service order founded by Michael J. McGivney on March 29, 1882. Membership is limited to practicing Catholic men. It is led by Patrick E. Kelly, the order's 14th Supreme Knight. ...
, Order of Alhambra, San Antonio Liederkranz, the Beethoven Männerchor, and as president of the Harmonia Lodge of the
Sons of Hermann The Order of the Sons of Hermann (german: Der Orden der Hermanns-Soehne, also known as Hermann Sons ( ''Hermannssöhne'' ), is a mutual aid society for German immigrants that was formed in New York, New York on July 20, 1840,Fritz Schilo"Sons ...
. He also served as a city council member in San Antonio in 1913 and 1914, and was a long-time member of the
San Antonio Public Library The San Antonio Public Library (SAPL) is the public library system serving the city of San Antonio, Texas. It consists of a central library, 29 branch libraries (as of the fall of 2017), and a library portal. SAPL was awarded the National Medal for ...
board of Trustees. In 1926, Deilmann completed Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church on San Antonio's West Side to serve its Mexican-American population. The red brick building is Romanesque, with strong elements of the Lombardy style. Dielmann's work included more than 100 church buildings from Houston to Marshall to Amarillo, but mostly across South Texas, as well as hundreds of commercial buildings, hotels, schools, and houses. His 12-story Frost Bank Building erected in 1922 was restored in 1994 to become the Municipal Plaza Building, housing the City Council chambers and city offices. Dielmann married Ella Marie Wagner, a daughter of German emigres, on April 25, 1911, and they had three children. He died on December 21, 1969, at the age of eighty-eight, and is buried in Holy Cross Cemetery in San Antonio. Notable works include: * The Fairmount Hotel, 401 S. Alamo
San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...
, NRHP-listed * Conventual Chapel at Our Lady of the Lake University, 411 S.W. 24th St.,
San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...
, Gothic Revival style, built 1923 * LaBorde House, Store and Hotel, 601 E. Main St.,
Rio Grande City, Texas Rio Grande City is a city in and the county seat of Starr County, Texas. The population was 14,411 at the time of the 2020 census. The city is west of McAllen. The city also holds the March record high for the United States at . The city is c ...
, NRHP-listed * Monastery of Our Lady of Charity, 1900 Montana,
San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...
, Italianate and Gothic architecture, NRHP-listed * Nativity of Mary, Blessed Virgin Catholic Church, FM 2672, High Hill, Texas, built 1906, NRHP-listed * Our Lady of Lourdes Church, 105 N. William St.,
Victoria, Texas Victoria is a small city in South Texas and county seat of Victoria County, Texas. The population was 65,534 as of the 2020 census. The three counties of the Victoria Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 111,163 as of the 2000 censu ...
, Romanesque Revival style, NRHP-listed * Park Hotel, known as the Plaza Hotel since 1919, 217 S. River St.,
Seguin, Texas Seguin ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Guadalupe County, Texas, United States; as of the 2020 census, its population was 29,433. Its economy is primarily supported by a regional hospital, as well as the Schertz-Seguin Local Government C ...
, NRHP-listed, opened 1917 * Post Chapel (Fort Sam Houston), Bldg. 2200, Wilson St.,
San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...
, NRHP-listed * Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 1633 S. Eighth St. Abilene, Texas, NRHP-listed * St. Mary's Catholic Church, 306 W. San Antonio St.,
Fredericksburg, Texas Fredericksburg (german: Friedrichsberg) is the seat of Gillespie County, in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 Census, this city had a population of 10,530. Fredericksburg was founded in 1846 and named after Prince Frederick of Prussia. ...
, gothic-inspired native stone structure, NRHP-listed * St. Mary's Catholic Church, 701 Church St., Brenham, Texas, built 1935, NRHP-listed * St. James Catholic Church, 507 S. Camp St.,
Seguin, Texas Seguin ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Guadalupe County, Texas, United States; as of the 2020 census, its population was 29,433. Its economy is primarily supported by a regional hospital, as well as the Schertz-Seguin Local Government C ...
, Gothic Revival style in red brick, built 1914 * Hermann Sons Grand Lodge, 515 S. St. Mary's St., San Antonio, Art Deco style, built in 1938 *The Barr Building, 213–19 Broadway, San Antonio, Texas, built in 1912


References


External links


A Guide to the Leo M. J. Dielmann Papers, Drawings, and Photographs, 1847-1961
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dielmann, Leo M.J. 20th-century American architects Architects from San Antonio 1881 births 1969 deaths