San Francesco di Paola

How it started

In 1926, at the request of San Antonio’s Italian Catholics, the Rev. Saverio Vecchio preached a mission in the city and a congregation was organized. It needed a church.

Louis Guido Sr., a master carpenter trained in Italy, built it with Vincenzo Falbo to Richard Vander Stratten’s design, along with the parish hall. The cornerstone reads “Italian Parochial Church San Francesco De Paola A.D. 1927,” and Archbishop A. J. Drossaerts dedicated the church on May 1 that year.

It was the family’s first job in Texas. In 1936 Louis and his brother Frank formed Guido Brothers, and four generations of commercial contracting followed. StruXure.co is built on that experience.