About

The Centro Cultural Hispano de San Marcos, the brainchild of Ofelia Vasquez Philo, is now housed in the old Bonham School at 211 Lee Street and stands poised to bring to life the story of Hispanics in San Marcos.

Though it’s been her dream for 30 years, Vasquez Philo said efforts to establish the Centro date back to 2007, when a planning group that also included Gloria Salazar, Rosina Valle, Margie Villalpando and Lupe Costilla secured, through donations by the Texas Educational Foundation and San Marcos Mayor Susan Narvaiz, non-profit status from the IRS.

As it turned out, she explains, she made a presentation to the Minority Arts Commission just as that group was about to disband. “They had $11,336 in the bank and made a motion to give it all to Centro Cultural Hispano.”

The very next week, Vasquez Philo met with San Marcos CISD Superintendent Patty Shafer about the Bonham School, which hadn’t been used since the spring of 2009.

“She said she was of the opinion, or words to that effect, that vacant buildings deteriorate a lot faster” than those still in use.

Shafer drew up a contract, district personnel measured the space and made Vasquez Philo an offer she couldn’t refuse.