| City/Town: • Moore |
| Location Class: • Church • School |
| Built: • 1933 | Abandoned: • 2012 |
| Status: • Demolished |
| Photojournalist: • Michael Schwarz • Mary Evans |
After almost eight decades, Villa Teresa Catholic School closed its doors in July of 2012. Sister Patricia Ann Miller, general superior of the Carmelite Sisters of St. Therese of the Infant Jesus, was sad to bring the news to incoming students and parents. The Carmelite Sisters of St. Therese had operated Villa Teresa schools for 79 years. The Oklahoma City school has been in operation since 1933, according to its website. The school had about 230 students, from age 2 ½ through the fourth grade the last year of operation.
By the time the downtown location had closed, the Moore location (Pictures below) had been closed for about a year. The letter to parents cites rising costs such as health insurance and salaries and major renovation and repairs needed for buildings as reasons for the closing. An aging population of nuns has meant fewer working outside the convent, earning income. The Carmelite Sisters have subsidized the schools for each of the last 15 years and could no longer continue to do so. The nuns promised to help families find another Catholic school. The letter thanked longtime principal Sister Veronica Higgins for her work and advocacy, and also thanked interim principal Cassie Herd for her willingness to be the interim principal during this difficult period.
Gallery Below
If you wish to support our current and future work, please consider making a donation or purchasing one of our many books. Any and all donations are appreciated.
Donate to our cause Check out our books!
[…] Villa Teresa school was founded in 1933 by the Carmelite Sisters of St. Therese in a home next to their convent in Oklahoma City. The campus consisted then of the convent and the school in two homes. Overtime the school grew. They built a large two story school and acquired a home next that as well. At its’ peak, Villa Teresa also had a second location in Moore Oklahoma as well. Villa Teresa of Moore […]
I attended the downtown location by the way.
I was a student here back in the day. We had a tremendous amount of athletes that attended Villa Teresa. We all either ended up attending St. Mary’s High School, Millwood, Capitol Hill or that other school, The Fighting Irish. Go Rockets!!!! No one ever skipped school throughout the entire year. We loved it that much.
Who do I speak with about being able to go on the property?
It is sad that such places are abandoned.
I went to school here, I only remember it vaguely. I remember being categorized by different colors of bears (brown, blue, etc.) There was a pool out back beside the playground that swimming lessons were taught at. I still keep in touch with two people who I met there. I'm a graduating highschool senior this year, crazy how time flies!
This school holds my earliest memories. I met my first friends there and we r still friends now 🙂 sad to see it so rough :/
Me and my friends used this place to film a really stupid post-apocalyptic short film last year. Pretty convenient area to get to, and that playground equpiment is still p sturdy. All around, was a cool place to look around, even though we had to film around all the grafitti left by other pricks like us XD
Does anyone know how to reach the seller's of this property?
I believe it's been demolished now.
It's still there
We can officially say, the Moore location has been torn down.
I went to school there for pre-k and kindergarten and It was amazing. I had gotten so close to my teacher, ms. Amy, I was her flower girl for her wedding. I wish it was still open so I can send my kids to school there when I have some. great memories and friends made in that building.
Thanks for this. By the way I'm Ms. Katie and that was a wonderful place to go to every day. Those were my students hand prints, so nice to know they are still there, for now.
Do you know who owns the property? I am looking to open my own school. Thanks.
you were one of my teachers! I'm writing a paper about myself that will be given to me my Senior year, and one of the questions was to list all of the school's we have attended, and I decided to check up on Villa. It literally almost brought me to tears.
Looks even rougher than this now. Since the tornado there's all kinds of junk that was blown in there, broken windows and ceilings falling in. Still a fairly interesting abandoned building though.
when I went there in the 50's, I thought the school was two stories.
Nice post, guys. Always love your stuff.
Interesting! My niece attended the school in the '80's. Thank you for documenting the school.