An essay published in the 1973 TIGER Yearbook
“Children come, and young men go; only the school remains, defying even the ravages of time, yielding only to the changes it brings. And of all the edifices belonging to a school that advertises itself as ‘the high school with a college campus,’ perhaps the one which lingers on in the memory of its long-departed Holy Cross men is a homely, humble, but time-honored gazebo, set aside in a quiet corner along the river.
Its ears have overheard the conversations of timid fledglings exchanging first impressions and newfound sensations; confident and assured young leaders in a lunchtime business meeting; and Brothers retiring under its shade after a walk on the levee to watch the sun disappear. It has felt - and served shelter from – many a summer sun and winter rain, and even an occasional snow. Its eyes have seen the flood of rivers, movements of levees, grottos, and buildings crumble to the ground and new ones spring up in their place.
It has stood quietly aside and watched not only many an incoming child be transformed into an adult, but it has also seen the school itself undergo the transition from its own childhood and the eras that have come and gone to make it the firmly grounded institution it is today. It will probably be here for enough tomorrows to amaze countless newcomers to Holy Cross that this relic of eras past still stands, the symbol of continuity from tradition to transition at this ageless school.”
Location #4… “Under the Oaks”
By 1980 the Gazebo had become much more of an icon of tradition rather than a shelter. With the help of the varsity football team, the gazebo was lifted onto the school pickup truck, and the students protected and guided the structure as it was moved to the center of campus. There it stood under the umbrella of the majestic oaks in front of the Main Building for over 25 years until Hurricane Katrina necessitated the move of the entire campus to Paris Avenue. Since 1980, thousands of Holy Cross Men proudly proceeded to their Baccalaureate Mass through the embrace of the time-honored Gazebo.
By 1980 the Gazebo had become much more of an icon of tradition rather than a shelter. With the help of the varsity football team, the gazebo was lifted onto the school pickup truck, and the students protected and guided the structure as it was moved to the center of campus. There it stood under the umbrella of the majestic oaks in front of the Main Building for over 25 years until Hurricane Katrina necessitated the move of the entire campus to Paris Avenue. Since 1980, thousands of Holy Cross Men proudly proceeded to their Baccalaureate Mass through the embrace of the time-honored Gazebo.
