The Marist College is a three-story structure built in 1915 by Manual Flores, a Tucson contractor. A component of the downtown precinct of the Diocese of Tucson, the school provided a Catholic education for boys from elementary school to high school sophomore year. It was an educational facility until 1968, when it became office space for the Diocese of Tucson. It has been vacant since 2002.
The Marist College is threatened by structural destabilization caused by the collapse of two corners and the cracking of a third. Deterioration is due to water penetration that comes from leaks in the roof and from the scupper and downspout drainage system. A replastering three decades ago with a plasticized composite stucco (Tuff-Tex) has cracked and spalled, allowing water to penetrate the walls but preventing the adobe from drying. Emergency bracing has temporarily stabilized the building, but there is a clear and present danger of collapse if a permanent solution is not implemented.
[For more information, contact Teresita Majewski, chair of the Tucson-Pima County Historical Commission, by e-mail. Photo source: Peg Price.]
September 2007 Update:
- “Old college building on endangered places list,” Tucson Citizen, August 31, 2007
- “Decaying Marist College gains spot on state list of endangered places,” Arizona Daily Star, September 1, 2007
