ST. MARY'S CATHEDRAL, SE. corner of Church and Center Sts., is of early Gothic design. Two octagonal towers with pointed roofs rise high above the main structure. The stone walls are surfaced with plaster, marked off in blocks. Behind the crossing of the main nave and the transept rises the belfry tower, surmounted by a statue of "Mary, Star of the Sea," placed there after a hurricane of 1875. During the storm of 1900 residents looked anxiously toward the swaying tower, for it had become legendary that as long as the "Star of the Sea" remained aloft the island would not be destroyed. Although the two ton bell was torn from beneath it, the marble statue weathered the storm.
Erected in 1848 as the cathedral for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Texas, St. Mary's is the oldest church building in Galveston. The Right Reverend John Murray Odin, first Bishop of Texas, directed its construction. A marble obelisk in front of the building bears the names of priests who died of yellow fever while ministering to victims during the epidemic of 1853.- Texas: A Guide to the Lone Star State, Galveston section, pgs. 279-280.
"Due to the tremendous growth in the City of Houston, in 1959 the Most Reverend Wendelin J. Nold, fifth bishop of the Galveston Diocese, was permitted by Rome to build a Cathedral of convenience in Houston -- Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral. This did not change the status of the City of Galveston as an Episcopal city, however it did permit full Episcopal ceremonies to be held in Houston, as well as Galveston. Both cathedrals are coequal in rank, however since St. Mary's is the original Cathedral for the State of Texas, it has the distinction of being the Mother Cathedral for all the Catholic Dioceses in Texas.
In 1979, in recognition of the Cathedral's importance to the community and the State of Texas, as well as the historical impact it had on Catholicism in the state of Texas, Pope John Paul II elevated St. Mary's to the status of Cathedral Basilica.
The Cathedral Basilica sustained significant damage during Hurricane Ike in September 2008, and remains closed through 2009." - Wikipedia
The Cathedral Basilica remains closed following Hurricane Ike. The archdiocese has indicated the Cathedral will reopen however the restoration will be done in stages, at this time there is no posted time frame for the restoration.