2013-11 Remembrances Special EditionClity of Schertz
Remembrances Special Edition 2013-11
Prepared by: Schertz Historical Preservation Committee
t I. 1 y Z B —11 AM Me TAT—N.A.1 46—KT M11
Leo Michael Joseph Dielmann
Through his attachment to his father's construction company Leo learned a great deal about the art of
construction engineering. He also benefited greatly from the business relationships his father had garnered
with several successful German businessmen. These men were soon to sponsor some of Leo's first
architectural commissions. These businessmen and Leo shared a common heritage and a mutual respect
for the aesthetic beauty of the German and Middle European artistic architectural style called Gothic. The
Gothic style first appeared in twelfth century France but, with adaptations, was introduced to Germany in
the thirteenth century. The primary adaptation by the Germans was the introduction of what became
known as the "hall church". In a "hall church" the height of the nave and the aisles rise to almost the same
height. This innovation required the adaption of immense steep roofs to cover the nave and aisles. This
transition in roof design brought with it tower designs that feature a single tower in front to replace the
double tower wide fagade and multiple doors of the French Cathedral models. The typical German Gothic
style provided for a single square buttressed tower with a steeply pitched octagonal or hexagonal
pyramidal spire set on it obliquely. Another significant change was the addition of alternate or secondary
entrances. For anyone traveling through Germany today the first image to catch the eye as one approaches
a village, town or city is the appearance of the high slender Gothic spire rising into the skyline from the
front of the oldest church of the community.
The San Antonio Spanish missions have been the benefactors of Dielmann's expertise. In 1907 he
received a commission to restore the Mission San Juan Capistrano. In 1911, he undertook planning
significant exterior modation of Mission San Francisco de la Espada.
Dielmann was in good favor with his San Antonio citizenry. In 1909, he was appointed City Building
Inspector, a post he held for three years. He continued designing structures during his city appointment. In
1913, he was elected to the position of Alderman-at-Large. He served as a director on the Board of the
San Antonio Public Library for thirty years.
By 1916, he was occupied with several major projects in Seguin, Texas to include the city fire station, the
Park Hotel, and St. James Catholic Church. In the years following his Seguin commissions he completed
numerous major projects throughout south and central Texas. In 1922, he undertook the design of the
rectory of the eighteenth century San Fernando Cathedral at San Antonio. That same year, he undertook
the design of St. Peter's Catholic Church in Boerne, Texas as well as the Chapel of Our Lady of the Lake
University at San Antonio.
By the late 1930s the German Gothic architectural tradition began to diminish as new styles and revivals
from other centuries began to take hold in America. To a degree, bigotry toward German heritage brought
about by the experience of World War 11 also affected the popularity of the Gothic style as did the
Catholic Church's cannon law of the period that encouraged parishes to be ethnic neutral in their
approach to parish activities and membership. Despite the fall from popularity, the Gothic Revival
architecture projects introduced by Dielmann to south central Texas still stand as sentinels in the
communities, challenging every encroachment of time and progress. His churches, including St. Joseph's
Chapel, are monuments to his unwavering spirit and deep appreciation for the legacy left him by his
ancestors.
The citizens of Schertz and Comal County should be boastfully proud of their affiliation with Dielmann's
masterpiece at Comal called Saint Joseph's Chapel. The chapel, with its spire topped cross visible across
the rural Comal landscape, serves as a beacon of hope for those aware of its settlement history. The
Chapel was designed by a true "master" and its beauty and strength have endured for more than a century.
We owe it to the legacy of those who designed and built the chapel to assure it is preserved as a cultural
icon for future generations to admire and understand its significance.
N
Photos of Saint Joseph's Chapel, Schertz, Texas
Top-North exposure/Bottom right-West exposure/
Bottom left- Northwest exposure (Photo by Dean Weirtz)
Photo of St. Joseph's Chapel Southeast Exposure
(Photo donated by SS Peter & Paul Archives)
Photo of Everett Fey, great grandson of John
H. Sievers (1841-1920), Master alter builder.
Mr. Fey stands beside the alter of St. Joseph's
Chapel built by Sievers (Photo by Diana Webb)
Unveiling of Schertz historic marker
for St. Joseph's Chapel — May 25, 2011
(Photo by Diana Webb)