Thomas Jefferson High School is a Treasure
The campus is an architectural gem and has produced many notable alumni.
We should all be proud of the beauty and legacy of Thomas Jefferson High School, nestled at the western-most boundary of Monticello Park. The school is a Texas Historic Landmark, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Designed by Max Frederick, of the architectural firm Adams & Adams, and completed in 1932, the palatial Spanish Revival campus is an extravaganza of lavish detail inspired by Spain’s Alhambra.
Aerial view of Thomas Jefferson High School campus soon after completion, showing the empty tracts surrounding the school. Ten years later, this would be fully developed.
At the time, this was the most expensive school built in San Antonio, at a cost of $1,250,000. The main structure, dominated by two silver-domed towers, surrounds beautiful patios and stately arcades. The building features cast stone ornamentation by acclaimed Italian immigrant, Hannibal Pianta, framing the main entryway and seen throughout the complex.
The yet-to-be-named “New High School,” under construction in 1931.
This 1931 view of the “New High School” under construction shows the skeleton for the concrete-reinforced dome.
Jefferson High School made quite a splash soon after it opened. In 1937, Jefferson became nationally known when it was chosen out of 1,500 schools as the most outstanding high school in America, and was featured in a Life Magazine pictorial the following year for this honor.
Jefferson Lassos drill team was featured on the cover of Life in 1938.
The story noted that “Nothing could be more appropriate than that the first million and a half dollar educational plant should bear the name of the man who once wrote, ‘No surer foundation than large scale education can be devised for the preservation of freedom and happiness.’”
Thomas Jefferson High School was featured on several post cards, giving San Antonio tourists the ability to share this wonder with their friends and relatives.
In 1940, Jane Withers starred in High School, a motion picture set at Jefferson, even though it was mostly shot on a Hollywood back lot.
Lobby card from “High School,” released January 23, 1940.
Jefferson eventually was San Antonio’s top-rated high school, graduating many notable alumni, and its historical design and architectural beauty have remained sources of pride for generations.
SMALL SELECTION OF NOTABLE ALUMNI
Henry B. Gonzalez, Class of 1935
U.S. Congressman
Robert Cole, Class of 1933
Medal of Honor Winner, WWII
Lillian Dunlap, Class of 1938
Brigadier General U.S. Army
Marcia Nasatir, Class of 1943
Hollywood Film Producer
John Silber, Class of 1943
President, Boston University
Kyle Rote, Class of 1947
NFL Star/Broadcaster
Robert Floyd Curl, Class of 1950
Nobel Prize Winner
Jim Lehrer, Class of 1952
Emmy Winning TV Journalist
Tommy Nobis, Class of 1962
NFL Star
Alfred Valenzuela, Class of 1966
Major General U.S. Army
William E. Moerner, Class of 1971
Nobel Prize Winner
Ed Garza, Class of 1986
San Antonio Mayor
Joaquin Castro, Class of 1992
U.S. Congressman
Julian Castro, Class of 1992
San Antonio Mayor
JEFFERSON AT A GLANCE
• Built for $1.25 million
• Adams & Adams, architects along with Phelps & Dewees, supervising architects
• Public open house on January 30, 1932 created traffic jams
• 1900 students enrolled during first year, including 500 seniors
• Original 33-acre site cost $94,588
• Site was originally planned for residential homesites plus a resort hotel and golf course
• First school in San Antonio with its own gymnasium and the first to have tile floors instead of wood
