Commissioned by Bishop Arthur J. Drossaerts, the “builder-bishop,” Drossaerts Hall was dedicated on Thanksgiving Day in 1920. At the time, Drossaerts Hall was the sole seminary building, providing both resident staff and students housing, dining, educational, and religious facilities all under one roof.

Over the next 8 years, the leadership of the San Antonio Archdiocese realized a major seminary within its boundaries would become increasingly important. In 1928, St. John’s reached the full status of a Theological (Major) Seminary, providing a full range of high school, college, philosophical, and theological instruction.

Enrollment quickly outgrew Drossaerts Hall, and, in 1935, the Venerable Antonio Margil Hall was completed and dedicated to serve as a dormitory. However, by the 1930’s, the seminarian population had once again outgrown its facilities.

With the campus overwhelmed, Robert E. Lucey, the new bishop, began looking for a property that could accommodate new facilities for the major seminary activities of the school, with the intent that the St. John’s campus would revert back to being a minor seminary only. However, post-war construction costs curtailed the move for the time being, therefore in 1947, a third building (St. Mary’s Hall) was constructed to provide several additional classrooms and serve as an auditorium.

Finally, Lucey’s search was successful and, in 1952, the Archdiocese relocated the major seminary, and the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary was designated. For the next decade or so, St. John’s served as a boarding school for high school boys that were interested in spiritual development and wanted a solid foundation for the potential of a vocation in priesthood.

Although some construction on the campus subsequently occurred, concurrent profound changes in church and society in the 1960’s led the Archdiocese to determine in 1968 that the minor seminary students would enroll at one of the local Catholic high schools for their basic high school education and extracurricular activities, but their residence and spiritual classes continued at St. John’s. However, the next year it was abruptly announced that St. John’s would close at the end of the school year.

After closing its doors as a minor seminary and school, the campus served as a drug treatment and rehabilitation center under the Patrician Movement from 1975 to 2011. After the center closed in 2011, the site began to rapidly deteriorate as a result of vagrant activity, vandalism, and arson.

Today, the property has been redeveloped into a Class-A mixed-income workforce housing apartment community with well-appointed units and attractive amenities known as The St. John Apartments.a