Sri Atmananda Memorial School (Austin, Texas)

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Sri Atmananda Memorial School NRHP:St. Mary's Academy
(U.S. National Register of Historic Places)

Location:	Austin, Texas, USA
Built/Founded:	1928
Added to NRHP:	August 8, 2001

The Sri Atmananda Memorial School is an alternative private grade school located in central Austin, Texas. The school follows the Eastern-oriented KPM Approach to Children, conceived in 1987 by Indian educator Sri Adwayananda (Sri K. Padmanabha Menon). The school is a sister to the original Sri Atmananda Memorial School located in Malakara, Kerala, India.

The school opened in 1995 on a historic campus north and east of the Hyde Park neighborhood. It began instructing students in grades 1-5, and had a goal of providing full K-12 instruction by 2005. The school is named for Sri Adwayananda's father.

[edit] Campus History

The 10-acre campus location at 4100 Red River Street was owned by cotton entrepreneur E.H. Perry and his family in the early 20th century. In 1928 the family built a 10,800 square foot home, featuring guest houses, a triangular elevator, a bowling alley, and a sunken garden. The home features a Mediterranean villa style that somewhat resembles buildings at the nearby University of Texas.

In 1944 the Perry family moved to the Driskill Hotel and sold the home to Herman Heep. In 1948 the estate opened as a school for the first time, housing St. Mary's Academy for Girls, which had recently been moved from its historic downtown location. At that time a chapel, nun's quarters, and other buildings were added. In 1968, Holy Cross High School replaced the girls' academy. In 1974, the land was purchased by the Henderson family, who founded the private Perry School on the site. Finally, in the mid-1990s, the land passed to the Sri Atmananda Memorial School.

Folk singer Nanci Griffith and author Margaret Graham attended Holy Cross High School together in the 1960s.

The school site was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.