The King William Historic District Tour Preview

122 Madison

In 1963 this mid-century modernist building was designed as the showroom and manufactory for Graham Knight’s Clare Candles. Mr. Knight commissioned O’Neil Ford and Associates to design the structure. The project is largely the work of Alex Caragonne at the beginning of his career, but the original drawings with notes in O’Neil Ford’s hand provide written proof of his influence in the design. It has the form of an aggressively modern building, but it is softened by the use of handmade materials like Mexican brick, Saltillo tile, and wood-framed window openings and doors. The building now serves as the headquarters of the King William Association, which bought the building in December of 2020.

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105 Madison

According to the San Antonio Light, Armand Halff married Hattie Solinsky, a widow, on 14 Aug 1904. Hattie purchased this lot from J.N. Groesbeck with her separate funds in March of 1906. They lived in her home at 509 South Flores until this house was built. The 1908 city directory lists them living here, and shows his profession as traveling salesman. During their long residence in this house (1908-1954) the family was active socially and philanthropically. On the August 23, 1923, the front page of the San Antonio Express Evening News described a benefit held here by fourteen-year-old daughter, Carolyn, and Johanna Belle Steves (431 King William), which raised $3.20 for the Ice and Milk Fund, a charity that provided milk to impoverished children. The house was purchased by David L. and Carol Duke in 1956 and sold to Donald P. Noble in 1995. The size of the house with its large Corinthian columns and spacious porches give it a sense of solidarity. There is beveled glass over the front door and in the side panels, all awaiting a return to what they used to be.

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107 Madison

Moses Jackson bought this lot from Mrs. P.H. Groesbeck in June 1894. He granted a Mechanic’s Lien to Charles G. Boelhauwe in exchange for the construction of a “one-story-brick, metal roof… (house of) eight rooms.” It was to cost $2500 and be complete no later than 20 November 1894. He was here from 1894 until 1915. Helene Guenther (See 250 Washington Street) purchased the property and after the death of her husband, Fritz, sold it to their daughter and her husband, Amanda and W.C. Church. Mrs. Church sold the house to Manuel and Elisa R. de Mora in 1920. Mr. Mora, a Spanish interpreter for Wolff & Marx, continued to live here until about 1933. The house was a rental for 10 years before it sold to Tom and Mattie (Scherff) Dickie in 1943. Tom Mosty bought the property in 1978 and Donald P. Noble in 1993. It is now The Jackson House Bed and Breakfast.

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117 Madison

In 1896 a bride and groom moved into a new home built by the bride’s father, Colonel Charles C. Gibbs. The newlyweds were Dr. Alfred and Virgilia Gibbs McDaniel; they inherited the house from her mother, Zenomia Barnes Gibbs, in 1911. The grounds comprised several lots and extended in the back to King William Street. After Mrs. McDaniel died in 1912 from complications resulting from an operation for appendicitis, Dr. McDaniel and their children, Star and Gibbs, lived in the house until about 1926 when he remarried and converted the carriage house into a duplex (130/132 King William Street). He, his new wife, Loma Lee, and his son, Gibbs, moved there. Star McDaniel Heimsath, who inherited ¼ of the house when her mother died in 1912, purchased the rest of it and from 1927 until the mid-1940s leased the house on Madison Street to an exclusive girls’ school called Bonn Avon. Star Heimsath owned it until she sold to George McDermott in 1944. After 1947, Florence (Mrs. George) McDermott operated a nursing home here. Leslie O. and Nell Cosner purchased the house in 1957, Ed. O. Hartman in 1973, and, in 1980, George and Daigue Gilliagan.

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202 Madison

I.B. Henyan was the first owner. He bought the lot in January of 1899 at a sheriff’s sale of the estate of Michael Eckenroth, whose home was behind it on South Alamo Street. I.B. and Pauline Henyman wrote a contract with Ed. Steves and Sons in September of 1905, agreeing to pay $3,500 for the construction of “a new brick residence including all plumbing, wiring, piping and heating” in accordance with plans drafted by architect Beverly W. Spillman. By 1922, Mrs. Henyan was a widow and continued to live in this house until December 1927, when she sold it to the City Federation of Women’s Clubs for $12,500. In 1942 it was purchased by Opal Smith, whose residence lasted until her death in 1972. Like many of the houses in this neighborhood, the interior space had been greatly modified when Grace Holley and Cecil Reynolds bought the house in 1973. They began a renovation which continued as the house was sold to Deborah Ann Silva (1981), Robert and Jill Cardellino (1987), John R. and Carol Jinkins (1992), Shannon Gunn (1998), Nicholas and Stephanie Chapman (2000), Edward Collins III (2003), and Penelope Henderson (2012).

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203 Madison

Johann William Schuwirth was a teacher of arithmetic, German, singing, and writing at the German English School on South Alamo and, according to Vinton James, was an efficient instructor and a favorite with his pupils. On November 15, 1870, Johann Schuwirth purchased three lots at the corner of Madison and Turner from Malvina Nelson. In 1878, he wrote a contract for a two-story house to be built on the corner lot, numbered 203. It was his home and that of his wife, Anna, until her death in February of 1931. It belonged to Amelia Zadich, the Schuwirths’ daughter, in the 1930s and it became the property of Harold and Anita (Schuwirth) McLean, Anna’s niece, around 1945. Mrs. McLean lived here until about 1984, when Graham Knight purchased the property. Many of the neighborhood gardeners remember the three-story-high Lady Banksia rose, which grew on the north side of the house. After some renovation, Mr. Knight sold the property to C.C. Woodside, Jr., in 1985. Marc Lunardon, doing business as Tuesday Investments Limited, owned and renovated the property in the late 1990s. Douglas and Leticia McCardle bought the house in 2000. After their purchase in 2014, Christine and Zane Reinhard added additional space to the rear of the house as well as a carport and back building designed by Morgan Penix, Adapt Architecture and Construction.

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206 Madison

This house was built by Carrie Wallace between 1873, when she purchased the lots from S.S. Brown with his wife, Caroline, acting as attorney, and 1879 when she sold the property to Mrs. A.E. Ludlum. Caroline Brown, Mrs. Ludlum’s daughter, inherited the property from her mother in 1881. She lived here from 1879 to 1888, and in 1882 built a house next door. She sold that house, numbered 210 Madison, in 1886. It was expanded many times and by 1962 had at least five apartments. It no longer exists. C.A. Nesbit purchased the house at 206 Madison from Mrs. Brown in 1888. His residence lasted until 1924, but ownership stayed in the family.From 1940 to 1948, Mr Nesbit’s daughter, Evelyn Wetherell, and her husband, Clarence, made this their home. They removed some of the gingerbread from the front and replaced the wooden porch with a concrete one. When the Wetherells moved, Serpio Marmolejo bought the property. In 1975 his widow, Mary, sold it to David Devore. He completed a renovation of this house and sold it to Alan Cash in 1983. In 1984, Mr. Cash added the cottage, designed by Lewis Fisher, in the rear. Mr. Cash played a key role in planting hundreds of trees which line the streets of the area and continues to serve as the unofficial gardener of King William. Bennie and Sue Blansett bought the property in 2003 and sold it in 2015. It is now owned by a limited liability company.

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209 Madison

Maximilian Graebner and his wife, Alvina, purchased this lot in July 1877 for $600 from Ernst Wehrhahne. They contracted with the San Antonio Real Estate Building and Loan Association to build the house in January 1878; the agreed-to price was $1200. The city directory shows the Graebners living here in 1879. Alfred Giles bought this house from the Graebners, in November,1881, for $2500. In 1885 Mr. Giles moved to the cottage he had built at 308 King William Street. Though no documentation establishes that Mr. Giles added the porch during his residency, it is very similar to others he designed in the area. The next owner was John Zadich (Charles F. Guenther and John Zadich, wholesale grocers and commission merchants, 224-226 East Houston Street), who occupied the place until 1904. There followed a number of renters and owners. Like so many others the house was converted into a large number of apartments. In 1967 Mr. Raford Dobie purchased the house, and, in 1976, Terence McDonald and Yolanda Gonzales bought it and returned it to a single-family residence. Megan and Walter Lapinskas bought the house in 2012 and Samuel Madrid in 2016.

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212 Madison

In February of 1921, Lawrence M. Samuels, whose Art Glass Company was located at 308 South Alamo, bought the lots at 907-915 South Alamo. There was a house located at 913, which remained a rental until 1924. In 1925 Samuel’s business borrowed $22,000 from the San Antonio Building and Loan Association, using this property as security. By 1926 Samuels Glass Company was listed in the city directory at 907-915 South Alamo. Most probably the house at 913 was torn down and the existing building was built in 1925 or early 1926. The lots (four and five) facing Madison were purchased in 1935, which would indicate the building on lot 4 (now labeled 212 Madison) was constructed after that time. The entire property was sold to Louis E. Sanders in 1951 and had multiple owners and uses after that date, including as a plastics factory during the late 1960s. Steve Yndo and Dan and Linda Rutherford formed King William Lofts, L.P., in 2000 to develop the property, which was already owned by the Rutherfords. Jim Poteet was the architect, and the building became the King William Lofts, one of the first industrial properties developed as living space in San Antonio.

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213 Madison

213 and 217 Madison are shown on the 1873 pictorial map as one-story structures. They are hardly recognizable as the stone houses they were at first because of additions, including a second story on each. Herman Wagenfuhr, stonemason, bought the lot at 213 Madison from Malvina Nelson in October 1869 for $225 and must have built the house shortly thereafter. He lived here until his death in 1898, and others of his family are listed at this address until 1903, when his son, Ferdinand, and daughter, Sophie Zoller, and her husband, Charles, sold it to F.T Johnson for $1500. From then until 1921 Max Schunke and his first wife, Martha Appman, and, later his second wife, Louise, owned the house. They almost certainly added the second floor. The Schunkes sold the house to Ernesto Perrusquia and Dolores A. De Perrusquia in 1920 for $4800. In later years the house belonged to Mrs. Herlinda Carvajal. In 1976, it became the property of Miguel Gonzalez. Armando Pena, and Helen Brooks purchased this house in 1981.

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217 Madison

213 and 217 Madison are shown on the 1873 pictorial map as one-story structures. They are hardly recognizable as the stone houses they were at first because of additions, including a second story on each. Herman Wagenfuhr, stonemason, bought the lot at 213 Madison from Malvina Nelson in October 1869 for $225 and must have built the house shortly thereafter. He lived here until his death in 1898, and others of his family are listed at this address until 1903, when his son, Ferdinand, and daughter, Sophie Zoller, and her husband, Charles, sold it to F.T Johnson for $1500. From then until 1921 Max Schunke and his first wife, Martha Appman, and, later his second wife, Louise, owned the house. They almost certainly added the second floor. The Schunkes sold the house to Ernesto Perrusquia and Dolores A. De Perrusquia in 1920 for $4800. In later years the house belonged to Mrs. Herlinda Carvajal. In 1976, it became the property of Miguel Gonzalez. Armando Pena, and Helen Brooks purchased this house in 1981. In March 1870, Henry Wagenfuhr, a drayman, purchased the adjoining lot at 217 Madison from Malvina Nelson for $235. His house probably dates somewhere from 1870 to 1872. He lived here until his death in 1896. His daughter, Sophia, married Henry Zoller, a painter, about 1886 and they made this their home until he died in 1926 and she in 1945. From that time, the house was rented as apartments until 1976, when it was purchased by Mrs. Dorothea Phillips. In the late 1970s, Mrs. Phillips was instrumental in preventing the construction of warehouse structures on vacant land that is now a public park in the 800 block of Main Street. Ed and Dee Dee Polk purchased the house in 1984.

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221 Madison

Unlike most of the older stone houses in the area, this one is made of caliche block, a softer, more porous stone than limestone. Baltazar Benner must have built the house soon after April 1870, when he paid Malvina A. Nelson $300 for the lot, because it appears as a complete structure on Koch’s 1873 pictorial map. In 1882, Mr. Benner sold the property to three sisters, Mrs. Barbara Pelzer, Mrs. Mary Winkle, and Miss Kate Enderle. Mrs. Pelzer is listed in the city directory as living here until 1916, and Miss Enderle until 1920. The house was probably rented most of the time until purchased by Janet Williams and William McDonald from Juan Juarez in 1988. The house sorely needed the complete overhaul they accomplished. The small two story component of the completely rebuilt addition is so expertly designed by Architect McDonald that when viewed from the front elevation it is not visible. McDonald is well known for the punched copper luminaria-style light fixtures he crafted and used in his architectural designs. Rudolfo Choperena bought the property in 1997, Bradley Barron in 2001, and Wesley Oliver in 2005.

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222 Madison

This house was built by Julius Kaufman after he purchased the lot in May, 1903, from Max Kaliski for $800. Mr. Kaufman rented the house to Werner Wilkens, and then to Dr. C.C. Calvin, before selling it to Jacob and Elsie Wolfenstein in November,1905, for $3000. Alfred G. and Margaret Witte bought the house in September of 1908 for $2000. Mr. Witte, a realtor, is the benefactor who gave a large sum of money to start the Witte Museum in Brackenridge Park. Victorino and Estela V. Garza purchased this house from the Wittes in 1928. Mr. Garza changed the style of the house to Mission, adding stucco, tile on the front porches, and an arch over the driveway. Mrs. Garza lived here until about 1981, when the property was sold to Ceasar I. and Natalia Arroyo. Neldon and Beth Milstead purchased the house in 1995. Philip N. and Lara M. Beverly purchased the house in 2016.

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225 Madison

The lot at 225 Madison Street was formerly the back yard of the house at 226 King William Street. Mrs. Emma Altgelt bought these two lots from Thomas J. Devine in 1876, when the King William Street house was being planned. Charles H. Mueller, who lived next door at 229 Madison Street, bought the lot from Mrs. Algelt in 1898, and around 1909 built a one story cottage, which he sold to his daughter, Henrietta (Mrs Peter Schram). The house was rented most of the time but from 1918 to 1922 Henrietta lived in the house with her second husband, John S. Saylor. O.L. and Jessie Kinsley bought the place after that and later made it into apartments. It was probably they who added the second story. One can notice that the upper floor siding is decidedly different from that of the lower one. James and Barbara Cleveland bought the property in 1966, Edward and Carolyn Alderette in 1977, Express News columnist Blair Corning in 1982, Jay Monday in 1994, Phillip and Chrisine Touw in 1997, Kevin Mohundro in 2005, Timothy Mangham in 2006, Ronald and Nancy Herschap in 2010, and Shirley Nickels and Eric Garza in 2015.

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226 Madison

Otto Ankerson, a bookkeeper for S. L. Huth & Son, seed and hardware store, on Market Street, bought this property from realtor A. J. Fry in April, 1891, for $1350. The house was probably built by Mr. Fry after he had purchased the lot from John Darragh in December, 1889, for $850. In 1902, Mr. Ankerson sold the house to Gus Rothfuss. His successor sold it to Thomas Henry Flannery, who was the son-in-law of Louis and Elizabeth Oge. The Flannerys lived here until 1909, when they moved into their new home at 138 King William Street. During their stay at 226 Madison their son, John O. Flannery Sr., also a San Antonio realtor, was born in the house. The Flannerys added a sun room to the rear of the house and put on a new roof of tin-dipped Belgium metal, which is still serving today. There are many similar old roofs in the area. After 1909, the house became the property of the Oges and remained a part of their estate until 1946. During that period it was a rent house and became quite run down. When Armando de la Vega purchased it early in 1946, he and his brother did extensive renovating. Mary V. Burkholder bought the house in late 1947 and continued to upgrade the property. Miss Burkholder, a school teacher and author, lived in this house until her death in 1997. After her death, Gladys Hooks bought the house in 1999; Sue Blansett owned it from 2001 until she sold it to Phillip and Lara Beverly in 2013. Gary and Marsha Meyers purchased the property in 2016.

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229 Madison

Johanna Von Gersdorff bought this lot for $300 from Malvina Nelson on the tenth of May, 1870. She built this house and it was her homestead until about 1878. The 1877 city directory shows her living at this location. It is possible that her original one-story house is one of four shown on the 1873 bird’s eye map. Charles H. Mueller moved to this address in 1879. He had a business on West Commerce Street, selling paints, oils, varnishes, painters’ supplies, artists’ materials and picture framing. On the second day of January 1894, he and his wife, Emilie, signed a contract with Henry Clemens agreeing that Clemens would remove the existing house and build a new one designed by Albert Beckman. The house was to be completed under the direction of Beckman no later than 23 February 1895. The cost was $3151. The family members lived here and worked in Mueller’s store until about 1910. One of his daughters, Lucille, and her husband, Ernest Scrivener, were the parents of Ernest, Jr., the founder and owner of Scriveners, Inc., previously located at Broadway and N. E. Loop 410. Mr. and Mrs. A. Basse were resident owners of the house from 1911 to 1926. After that it was rented for a number of years and converted to apartments. In 1992, Dr. J.J and Gloria Diaz sold the property to Grover and Jennifer Tice, who added the large structure at the rear of the property and operated The Yellow Rose Bed and Breakfast. Deborah Field and Justin Kit Walker bought the house in 1996 and continue to operate the bed and breakfast.

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230 Madison

The house that Robert Clarke built here about 1896 was destroyed by fire in February of 1982. The original deed to Mr. Clark specifies that the lot measured 18 varas in front and 51 varas deep. A Texas vara is 33.33 inches. Mrs. Minerva Garcia, who owned the house at the time it was destroyed, sold the lot to Sam Miller in 1983. At the same time, Mr. Miller purchased the property at 951 South Alamo on which sat a house built by John T. Brackenridge sometime between 1896 and 1901. That house was moved to this location in 1984. Carolyn Cole bought the property in 1986 and operated it as The Brackenridge House Bed and Breakfast. Bennie and Sue Blanssett purchased the property in 1998 and sold it to Lilliana M. Rivera Lopez in 2010.

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233 Madison

When Mrs. Herman Glaeser married in 1909, she had been living with her grandmother, Mrs. Kate Perryman, at 243 Madison in a stone house similar to the one at 221 Madison. Behind the house was a stone storage barn with three levels, including a basement. Remnants of it can still be seen to the south and rear of 237 Madison. The newly wedded Glaesers moved into the house at 233 Madison and lived there the rest of their lives, first as renters and then as owners of both houses. The property at 237 was rented as three units. Mrs. Glaeser died in 1966; Mr. Glaeser had passed away a few years earlier. Their daughter, Mrs. John Dove, sold both houses to John and Maria De Jesus Rothenbach. Mrs. Rothenback lived on the property until her death in 2016. These two houses were built sometime prior to 1896, probably as rent property. The 4-inch-wide heart pine flooring lends credence to an earlier construction date. The decorations on the porches are a good example of the scroll work found on houses of that era and earlier. There were planing mills in San Antonio that produced this type of “gingerbread” trim.

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234 Madison

In 1890, J.M. and Minnie Cain paid $1800 for lot 9 and a half of lot 10, where the houses at 234 and at 236 are located. In February, 1892, They granted a builder’s lien to Charles Schneider for $3100 to build a two-story frame residence following the plans prepared by architects Murphy, Gordon & Laub and built the house at 236. This was their home until about 1900. The original curb stone sits at the corner of the driveway and the sidewalk. After 1900, J. M. Cain’s address is listed as the Dulling Building at the corner of Alamo and East Commerce Streets, where he had his office. His partner, Dr. James H. Graham, lived in the house for a short time. Later residents were for the most part renters. Egon Tausch bought the property in 1976, restored the façade and reduced the number of apartments to two. Jessie Simpson and Theodore Bailey owned the property from 1984 until 1991, when it was sold to Donna West, who operated it for a time as a bed and breakfast. The property is now owned by David Richard Nelson and Ellen Watin Lin-Nelson. In February, 1901, Dr. Cain granted another builder’s lien for $2500 to construct the house at 234 Madison. Dr. Cain lived there until 1907, when James and Bettie Knight bought the place from him for a family home. The last member of the family to live there was their daughter, Bessie Knight, whose home it was until her death in 1958. Her nephew, Graham B. Knight, inherited the property and converted it into a duplex. Two huge pecan trees planted as seedlings by Mrs. Bettie Knight are still flourishing in the back yard.

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236 Madison

In 1890, J.M. and Minnie Cain paid $1800 for lot 9 and a half of lot 10, where the houses at 234 and at 236 are located. In February, 1892, They granted a builder’s lien to Charles Schneider for $3100 to build a two-story frame residence following the plans prepared by architects Murphy, Gordon & Laub and built the house at 236. This was their home until about 1900. The original curb stone sits at the corner of the driveway and the sidewalk. After 1900, J. M. Cain’s address is listed as the Dulling Building at the corner of Alamo and East Commerce Streets, where he had his office. His partner, Dr. James H. Graham, lived in the house for a short time. Later residents were for the most part renters. Egon Tausch bought the property in 1976, restored the façade and reduced the number of apartments to two. Jessie Simpson and Theodore Bailey owned the property from 1984 until 1991, when it was sold to Donna West, who operated it for a time as a bed and breakfast. The property is now owned by David Richard Nelson and Ellen Watin Lin-Nelson. In February, 1901, Dr. Cain granted another builder’s lien for $2500 to construct the house at 234 Madison. Dr. Cain lived there until 1907, when James and Bettie Knight bought the place from him for a family home. The last member of the family to live there was their daughter, Bessie Knight, whose home it was until her death in 1958. Her nephew, Graham B. Knight, inherited the property and converted it into a duplex. Two huge pecan trees planted as seedlings by Mrs. Bettie Knight are still flourishing in the back yard.

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237 Madison

When Mrs. Herman Glaeser married in 1909, she had been living with her grandmother, Mrs. Kate Perryman, at 243 Madison in a stone house similar to the one at 221 Madison. Behind the house was a stone storage barn with three levels, including a basement. Remnants of it can still be seen to the south and rear of 237 Madison. The newly wedded Glaesers moved into the house at 233 Madison and lived there the rest of their lives, first as renters and then as owners of both houses. The property at 237 was rented as three units. Mrs. Glaeser died in 1966; Mr. Glaeser had passed away a few years earlier. Their daughter, Mrs. John Dove, sold both houses to John and Maria De Jesus Rothenbach. Mrs. Rothenback lived on the property until her death in 2016. These two houses were built sometime prior to 1896, probably as rent property. The 4-inch-wide heart pine flooring lends credence to an earlier construction date. The decorations on the porches are a good example of the scroll work found on houses of that era and earlier. There were planing mills in San Antonio that produced this type of “gingerbread” trim.

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242 Madison

In 1888, Rudolph F. and Hellen Voelcher signed a Deed of Trust with the San Antonio Real Estate Building and Loan Association to build a house on their lot at 242 Madison for $2100. The contract required that Thomas Carrico build the house from plans on file with the company. Mr. Voelcher was proprietor of Central Pharmacy at 202-204 West Commerce Street. Louis and Louise Schrader rented here from 1895 until 1900. There were other renters, including Alfred and Margaret Witte. Elise Groos bought the house from the Voechers in 1904 and Dr. Cain bought it from her in 1907, after he sold his home at 234 Madison. He and Mrs. Cain lived at this address until about 1915, when Mrs. Cain is listed as a widow. She continued to reside at this address until around 1942. Since then the house had several changes of ownership and was divided into many small apartments. The current owner, Graham B. Knight, reduced the number of apartments to three in his restoration.

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243 Madison

W. W. and Kate Perryman owned an old stone house at this address until 1917, when it was sold to Consuelo Maurer. The Sanborn map of 1924 shows the stone house still in place. But by 1926 it had been replaced by the large wood frame structure that occupied this lot until it was destroyed by fire in the early 1980s. The house that now occupies this lot was designed by San Antonio architect Darryl Olenbusch and built for his mother, Mary Ann Olenbusch. During the construction in 1995, foundation stones from the limestone house that previously occupied this site were uncovered. Some of the stones were left in place and others reused as the north wall of the interior courtyard; it can be seen from the front sidewalk. Mrs. Olenbusch is a tireless garden advocate and is responsible for planting many of the trees that now grow in the neighborhood. The sidewalk gardens at her home are planted with many native and drought-tolerant plants, including amaryllis, phlox and crinium saved by her from old San Antonio gardens.

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307 Beauregard

Emma and George Huntress purchased this small lot from Emmil Schmidt and F.L. Glasserin in September of 1914 for $300 and were living here by 1915. George was an attorney, “Corporation and Commercial Laws a Specialty” according to his ad in the city directory. After George’s death in 1937, Emma granted the property to George W. Huntress Jr. and his wife, Mary, in 1944 but continued to live in the house. George Jr. and Mary lived there from the mid-1950s until they sold the property to Pierre Parker in 1967. Hardy and Myrtle Miller bought the house in 1969, Leonard Payne in 1977, Patrick Strong in 1989. In 2005, Donna and Douglas West bought the house and it became a bed and breakfast. John M. Elich purchased it in 2007. Since 2012 the house has been Eva’s Escape, and is now owned by Weinritter Realty LP.

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316 Beauregard

This structure began life as two duplexes, probably built by Grover C. Cain. The one located to the right as you face the building, 314/316, was a duplex which first appears in the city directory in 1921. It was rented as residences until the 1990s. 318/320 was built as a business duplex. Frymire & Gunnell and the Beauregard Meat Market were doing business here in 1921, the first year it is listed in the city directory. By 1924, Keith’s Café and Conference was in business at 318. In 1926, The Trevino Bros Grocery had an establishment in 318 but 320 was vacant. In 1934, 320 was the home of the Beauregard Café. Through the 1940s the Cripps Café was there and seems to have operated in the entire building, as the 318 address does not appear in the directories. In the early 1970s, The Beauregard, a burger, beer and pool place, operated here. All of these addresses were combined to form a restaurant/grocery market in the early 2000s and were home to the Madhatters Tea House & Café from 2001 to 2020. Bar Loretta took over the space in August 2021. The property belonged to the Cain family until bought by SCB Properties LTD in 2004.

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310 Beauregard

This is probably the oldest house on Beauregard Street. Elizabeth Templeman Vanderhoeven bought this lot from Kate Perryman in 1889 and built the house sometime before December 1892, when she leased ($330 per year to be paid in monthly installments) the property to Dr. Arthur Rochs, editor of the Freie Presse fuer Texas. He rented the house until about 1909 but appears to have changed the spelling of his last name to Rocks in about 1903. After Mrs. Vanderhoeven’s death in 1908, Harry and Sadie Hollander purchased the property from her son, Thomas Templeman Vanderhoeven, on November 15, 1920, for $5000. The 1896, 1904, and 1924 Sanborn maps call the house 311 Beauregard. An interesting side note is the changes in the spelling of the Vanderhoeven name over time. When Mrs. Vanderhoevens’ husband, Dr. Thomas Templeman Vanderhoeven, died in 1882, this was the spelling she used for his gravestone. But when she purchased this property in 1889, she signed her name as Van der Hoeven. Her son used Vanderhoeven, the spelling used here, when selling the property. The house was converted to a duplex about 1924 and after that owned by a number of people, including: Mary Izard (1925); L.M. Henry (1931); Mrs. Leo Pitcher (1936); Esther Dick (1946), who rented rooms at 114 South St.; Elton and Beulah Mae Hurt ,who owned a plumbing business located at 1131 South Alamo; Jesus and Angelina Muñoz (1965). Pedro and Alma Conchas have owned it since 2000.

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215 Beauregard

Josephine Sanger’s (242 King William) brother, Edwin Oppenheimer, and their mother, Amelia Oppenheimer, bought this lot in 1905 and probably built the house when the Sangers built their home at 242 King William. The house first appears in the city directory in 1907. Possibly it was intended as a home for Amelia and Edwin, but Amelia died in 1906 and Edwin continued to live with Josephine and William. After Edwin died in 1910, Josephine, his sole heir, kept the house as a rental until she sold it to William and Emilie Oppermann in May of 1918. About 1924, the Oppermans divided the home into a duplex. Their daughter, Edna Marie Oppermann Brandenberger, inherited the house in 1952 and sold it to Deodoro and Maria Garza De Los Santos in 1965. At some point the house became four apartments. Ronald and Madeline Guyer purchased the house in 1978, and reduced the number of apartments to two. Others purchased the property and it was for a time a bed and breakfast: Drury and Sarah Clark (1984), Noemi and Eugenio Font (1991), Ann and Jose Trabal (1994), Lisbeth and Albert Fittipaldi (2000), Roland Quintanilla (2005), Michael Girdley (2011). Ashley Heeren and Ryan Bollom bought it in 2013 and it is again a single family home.

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220 & 308 Beauregard, 302 & 306 Madison

William and Consuelo Maurer owned and lived at 314 Madison. After William’s death in 1919, Mrs. Maurer bought 318 Madison and moved there. The Maurers first began acquiring rental property in this area in 1917 with the Perryman house at 243 Madison. The 1918 city directory shows Mrs. Maurer operating it as apartments and by 1926 she had demolished the old stone dwelling and replaced it with a 15-unit apartment building. The design of the building was very different than the ones she built on the southern corners of Madison and Beauregard. It was damaged by fire and demolished in the early 1980s. Between 1919 and 1925 she acquired a significant number of properties including the core of her property at or near the corner of Beauregard and Madison. She began developing what came to be known collectively as The Maurer Apartments. Without a doubt some of the houses she bought were torn down, others were simply modified as they sat. The 1924 Sanborn map shows a structure at 220 Beauregard but it is significantly smaller than the extant building, faces Madison Street, and is numbered 305. The 1924 map also shows similar residential structures at 302 and 306 Madison. In the years prior to 1924, the city directory lists them as single family. By 1926 the structures at these addresses were multifamily dwellings. Given the uniform appearance of the apartment buildings, the large number of apartments listed for each address in the 1926 city directory, and the substantially larger footprint shown on the 1950 Sanborn Map, it seems certain that the older buildings were demolished and totally replaced. The other houses considered part of the “Maurer Apartments” were 310, 314, and 318 Madison (these three houses were vacant and derelict for a number of years. All three buildings were destroyed by fire in 1987). All of the buildings were owned by the Maurer family until Consuelo’s grandsons sold them to L.T. Peterson in 1974. They were owned in turn by Doyle Walsh, Ralph Medina, and Ann Anthony. The remaining buildings now house condominiums.

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309 Madison

There was an earlier house at this site. As far back as 1883 this address is listed as the home of Frank Sparrow, stage manager of the Vaudeville Theater, and the 1896 Sanborn map shows a small, one-story dwelling on the southern part of this lot. But the present house was built by Jesse D. and Lillie Oppenheimer about 1900. He was cashier for the D. and A. Oppenheimer Bank. The Oppenheimers lived here for about 24 years. In 1925, K. R. Cook became the owner and made the house into apartments. In the 1930s it was used as a Naturopathic clinic and rest home. The 1940 city directory lists this address as the home of the Free Economy Pub Club. In 1973, O.T. Lodal bought the house, but much of the restoration was accomplished by Maxine Brewer, who bought the house in 1975. Dieter and Patricia Onken purchased the house in 1998 from John and Margaret Larcade.

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310 Madison

Michael and Cynthia Conrad built this house in 2009. Mr. Conrad, an architect with LPA, Inc., calls his unique design an urban farmhouse. He crafted it to incorporate many recycled materials and environmentally friendly features. The water collection system, including a cistern at the rear of the property, is a throwback to what was the norm in the 1880s. The Fry House, built on this lot in the 1890s, burned in 1987.

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314 Madison

The Maurer House originally built on this lot about 1892 was burned in the same fire that destroyed 310 Madison in 1987. The house that now occupies this lot was designed and built in 2005 by William H. Triplett, Senior Vice President-Strategic Design for H.E.B. It is currently owned by Jessica and Clayton Hoover.

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315 Madison

This small yellow brick house with its faux chimney of lava rock was designed and built by Robert Gallegos after he and Rosa bought the lot in 1961 from Fernando De Los Santos. It served as their home until 2003, when it was purchased by James and Jennifer Bailey. Mr. Bailey, an architect with Alamo Architects, added contemporary flat-roof structures to the rear of the property and the back building. Paul Bryan and James Chapman bought the house in 2008 and have made additional adjustments in the rear of the structure.

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317 Madison

Around 1880 this little cottage became the residence of Leo Tarleton, an attorney. He must have rented the house at first because in February 1885 he bought the “property, premises, and improvements” from Thomas J. Devine for $1630. This included the lot to the north, where a new house (315 Madison) has been built. Mr. Tarleton lived in the house until about 1890 when it became the property of Elizabeth T. Vanderhoeven, widow of Thomas Vanderhoeven. After she died in 1908, the house was sold to Dr. C.H. Dewey, a dentist, who occupied the house until 1934, alone or with Dorothea, his second wife; Ora, his third wife, or Clara, his fourth wife. In 1966, Mr. Raford Dobie bought the property. It was sold in 1973 to James R. Thompson and again in 1974 to Michael Casey. Michael J. Schroeder bought the property in 1986 and sold it to Paula Cox, an artist as well as a founder and proprietress of the Mockingbird Handprints, in 2005. In 2010, architect Charles Schubert oversaw a complete rehabilitation, which included a small studio addition.

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318 Madison

This house was built in 1993 by Solis General Contractors for Alfonso and Ophelia Cervantes and is now owned by Patricia and Rudy Zinsmeister. An earlier turn-of-the-century house burned in 1987.

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320 Madison

Built around the turn of the century as a one-story structure, this house was rented at first. From about 1908 to 1929 it was the home of Benno and Louise Kayton and their family. By 1912 they had remodeled the house, adding a second story. Mr. Kayton was first a bookkeeper for Bell Jewelry Company. He took a leave and went to New York to study optometry, and became the first optometrist in San Antonio. He carried on his practice at Bell’s. He also owned the largest outdoor advertising company in the city at that time, called the Sunset System. He was one of the five realtors who together developed Highland Park. Kayton Avenue was named after him. The other partners were Messrs. Hammond, Rigsby, Peterson and Peck. Rented since 1930, the house was divided into apartments in 1954. David Devore owned the property from 1978 until he sold it to Howard Peak in 1997. Edith Stockhardt bought the apartment house in 2000.

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321 Madison

In November, 1883, Alvina Klocke bought this property from Thomas J. Devine for $750. She must have built the house soon after because she still owned the place in July 1885, when Herman Schuetze, subscription clerk for the San Antonio Express, was listed in the city directory at this address. By 1888 it was owned by Ludwig W.C. Schulze. In 1894 the administrator of his estate sold the house to John Zadich (209 Madison) for $2150. Zadich rented this place to a number of different people. Oral history says that the second story was added in 1917. The Sanborn maps of 1896, 1904 and 1912 show the structure as a one-story dwelling. In 1937 George Schuwirth inherited the house from the estate of John Zadich. Mr. and Mrs. Hugo Elmendorf purchased the property from Mr. Schuwirth in 1941. Mrs. Elmendorf lived in the house until 1999 when it was purchased by Jessie Simpson. Johnathan and Deborah Bailey bought the house in 2002, converted it to a single family, and completely redid the one-story 1950s kitchen addition in the rear.

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325 Madison

Robert Maxey purchased these lots from Hulda Groos for $1200, in 1904. He and his wife, Adrinne, built the house sometime before April of 1906, when they sold it to Ella Berliner for $7250. The first time this house is mentioned in the city directory is for the year 1907 with Sam Berliner as the owner. He lived here until 1914, the year after his wife, Ella, died. In 1927 the renter was Albert Dean and he ran Dean Sheet Metal Works and Pinkerson Stove Repairing Co. from the rear building. The city directory shows W.Y. McFarland living here from 1929 until 1931 and indicates he owned the property, but there are no deed records to support his ownership. In 1931, Mrs. D.L. Turner bought the property from the estate of Sam Berliner. In 1934, she gave the property to her daughters, Katie and Lottie, retaining a life estate for herself. Katie Turner sold the property to Jose R. and Victoria Nuñez in 1945. Their son, Rubin, and his wife, Josie lived here until they sold it in 1997 to Richard and Diane Malone, two of the founders of The Classic Theater of San Antonio.

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326 Madison

This is probably the same house that is listed in the 1885 city directory as 324 Madison, the home of Frank Grice, editor of the San Antonio Express. In 1887 the listing is for Madison Dallas, a hardware merchant; and in 1889 for Charles Merriam, general superintendent for the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railroad (S.A. & A.P.). Joseph W. Fortune, a real estate broker, lived here in 1891, and in 1892 his address is given as 326 Madison. Charles and Minnie Sckerls purchased this lot from Thomas J. Devine in 1870 and built a house, but rented it to others before making it their home in 1899. The 1896 and 1904 Sanborn Maps show the house as a one-story structure but by 1912, the Sanborn map shows it as two stories. The Sckerls lived at this address until their deaths, his in 1922 and hers in 1928. It was a single family dwelling until sometime after 1934, but by 1940 it was three apartments and by 1948 the number of apartments was seven. In the 1970s when Reymundo Canales owned the property, the number of apartments was eight. Robert and Nancy Shivers have owned the property since 1993.

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328 Madison

Charles and Minnie Sckerls built the house at 328 Madison in 1913 as an investment. In the June 6, 1913 edition of the San Antonio Light, architect Ernest P. Behles advertised for bids to construct the “two-story brick apartment house of Madame C. Sckerls, Madison St.” Further evidence that the house was constructed in 1913 is a Mechanic’s Lien filed in September, 1913, against this property by J.W. Hailey, a carpenter, claiming that the building contractor, F.W. Marx, failed to pay him. Different renters lived there until the Sckerls’ granddaughter, Linda Epps Shea, sold the house to George and Clara Hawn Carter in 1941. Mrs. Carter lived in the house until the early 1980s, and the property was sold to Edward Kern in 1981. Patrick Conroy and Paula K. Shireman bought it in 2000 and converted the existing duplex to a single family home.

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335 Madison

Mrs. Juliana Adelia Van Derlip bought this lot from John F. and Carrie Martin in February of 1875 at the same time she purchased the house at 337 Madison. She built a one-story house on this lot before 1896, and by 1904 the family had added a second story. The Sanborn map for 1896 shows this address as a separate one-story structure and the city directory lists renters at 335 Madison at least as far back as 1898. Charles Cresson Jr., Mrs. Van Derlip’s grandson, sold the house to John B. Holt in 1910. He and his wife, Luella, sold the house to their daughter, Hattie M.Holt, for $1000 and a $1500 “advance against” her inheritance, in 1915. She, in turn, sold it to Mrs. Clara McCord in 1926. Ownership reverted to Hattie Holt in 1932. She then sold it to Alfred J. Martin. Mrs. Frances Elliott bought it in 1947; G.W. and Lottie Ismell (1948); J.W. Goas (1950); Thomas and Emma Hotz (1950); Fred, Jr., and Evelyn Burkett (1963); John and Margaret Larcade (1973); Michael and Carol Hodge (1981); Gary Sprott and John Nichols (1993); Ryan and Edith Hagino (1999); Thomas Berg and Susan Erickson (2003); and Stephen and Elizabeth Gruy ( 2014).

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337 Madison

This house is listed in the Historic American Buildings Survey. J.F. Martin built a one-story stone house at this corner around 1872. In 1875, he and his wife sold it to Mrs. Juliana Adelia Van Derlip, widow of David Campbell Van Derlip. The Van Derlips came to Texas from New York and lived for a time in Gonzales, Texas. While there, Mr. Van Derlip became a lawyer. They moved to San Antonio in 1843 and he died in 1856. Sometime after 1886 the family added a second story of brick to the house. Daughter Adelia and her husband, Charles Cresson, lived here with her mother until 1887 when they moved to 819 Grayson Street. Mrs. Van Derlip joined them there sometime before 1891. Daughter Mary married George S. Chabot (See 402 Madison) in 1863. At first, this corner house was listed as 331; later it was listed as 337. In 1891 Charles A. Merriam, general superintendent of the S.A. and A.P. Railroad, lived at 337 Madison; in 1892 there was William H. Weiss; in 1894 it was W. Schoch, school principal; and in 1897 H.C. Carter, an attorney, lived there. In the following years there was a succession of renters. The family sold the property in 1941 to Louisa Schramm. About 1950 Arthur T. and Annie Armstrong became the owners. In 1975 the property was purchased by Walter N. Mathis. James and Donna Williams owned the house for a few months before selling it to Michael and Carol Hodge in 1978. The house was bare walls and rubble before the Hodges basically “rebuilt” the entire structure, preserving original wood, stone and layout. Dennis and Cathy Spar purchased the house in 2004.

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338 Madison

Oscar and Charlotte Rachal “Ray” Finklestein Berman lived with their family in a rented house in the 400 block of Madison Street until they built their home at 338 Madison. The house was constructed sometime between 1906, when they bought the property, and 1908, when the city directory first shows them in residence. Harvey L. Page, architect for the Masonic Temple, the Schutz and Temple Beth-EL, designed the Berman’s new home. Mr. Berman was in the wholesale liquor business (Berman and Zadek). He died in 1923, and Mrs. Berman stayed on in the house until 1927. Mrs. Marie Jameton purchased the house and in 1930 removed the original wrap-around porches and added wings to both the north and south faces of the house . Mr. Albert Kinder lived at this address longer than anyone else. He bought the property in 1940 and made it his residence until 1973, when Allen Klaus bought the property. Frank and Marjorie Alford purchased the house in 1974. Shortly before Gates and Joan Whitely bought the house in 1976, the 1930s “wings” were removed. John Whitehead purchased the house in 2008; the Booth Brothers Paving Co. II, LP, bought it in 2014. This house has a circular walk and inwardly curved downstairs porch with an entrance on both sides. Originally, the inner circle was a garden and when Mrs. Whiteley lived here she grew pansies and Day Lilies there. During their 32 years in the house, the Whiteleys preserved and restored much of the interior as well as removed a 1940s enclosure of the upper front porch.

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402 Madison

There is a significant body of evidence that suggests this house is not the one originally built here by George A. Chabot, son of George S. Chabot, after he bought the two lots on the corner in December, 1885. The 1896 Sanborn map shows a house of a different shape that was much closer to the north lot line than the current structure. The first resident listed in the original house was Abraham Wolff of the now defunct Wolff & Marx department store, who lived there from about 1887 to 1890. The 1904 Sanborn map depicts the house as it sits today, and it is possible that before George A. Chabot made this his home in 1894 he built the current structure. From 1900 it was a rent house again for many years. In March, 1941, Lucille and Charles J. Chabot, executors, sold the property to Vincent and Theresa Policastro for $3900. William and Carrie Sims bought it from them in February, 1943, for $4500. After Mr. Sims died, his widow continued to live there until 1960, when she sold the house to Mr. and Mrs. Juan Juarez. Kate Ruckman purchased the property in 1991 and substantially renovated it. She sold it in 2006 to Ismail Jaber and Herminia Garza-Jaber. The current owners, Stace and Jeffery Rust, purchased it in 2015. The exterior of the house remains largely as it was originally constructed. There was another entrance on the Sheridan side which was enclosed with shingles in the early 2000s.

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403 Madison

Through the years the Chabot house has been remodeled and added to. It was once the home of George Stooks Chabot, a prominent citizen of San Antonio, who came from his native England and became a commission merchant dealing in cotton, wool, and hides, with his business on Main Plaza. He was in partnership first with P.J. Moss (Chabot, Moss and Company) and later with Charles C. Cresson (Chabot and Cresson). Previously he and his wife, Mary Van Derlip Chabot, had lived in Mexico, where he worked for the British foreign service. Mr. Chabot built this home around 1876 shortly before his mother-in-law, Juliana Van Derlip, purchased the house across the street. Mr. Chabot had paid Thomas J. Devine $850 for the lot in 1875. For a time the street between the houses was called Chabot Street (now Sheridan Street). Mrs. Chabot was instrumental in establishing the Protestant Orphans’ Home of this city; she and her sister, Mrs. Charles C. Cresson (Adelia), helped to maintain it. She was well known in art circles of her day in San Antonio. The Chabot sons were George A. and Charles J. The son of the latter was Frederick Charles Chabot, who wrote With the Makers of San Antonio. George Stooks Chabot died in 1902 at the age of 81, and his widow continued to live in the home at 403 Madison until her death in 1929. By 1926 she had partitioned at least three apartments. Members of the Chabot family lived in the house up to 1940 and during that time partitioned a large number of apartments. A.W. Bouquet bought the property in 1956 and continued to rent the nine apartments. In 1975, Walter N. Mathis bought the house and the 1917 apartment house next to it at 415 Madison. The second house he removed in order to replace the orchard that was there originally and to expose the stone carriage house behind it, which had been built with the Cabot home. Mr. Mathis completely renovated the residence and converted it into three luxury apartments. The carriage house has an apartment as well. Sister Schodts Reed purchased the house in 1985 and completed the transition to a single family residence before she sold the property to Curtis Reid Johnson in 2006.

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410 Madison

410-430 Madison are modern infill designs, the thick plastered concrete walls and deep overhangs suggest a Texas adaptation of the early California modernism of Irving Gill. Each L-plan house encloses an urban courtyard and provides a single-family residential face on Madison Street.Purchased by St. Benedicts’s of SA, LTD, in 2004 and sold to Madison Street Townhomes, LP, in 2007, these houses are located where the 1950s Wing of St. Benedicts Hospital sat. The development and construction of the homes was guided by Steve Yndo, who served as the general partner. Four of these houses are externally identical, the exterior design by Jim Poteet, and the fifth is of the same design style.

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414 Madison

410-430 Madison are modern infill designs, the thick plastered concrete walls and deep overhangs suggest a Texas adaptation of the early California modernism of Irving Gill. Each L-plan house encloses an urban courtyard and provides a single-family residential face on Madison Street.Purchased by St. Benedicts’s of SA, LTD, in 2004 and sold to Madison Street Townhomes, LP, in 2007, these houses are located where the 1950s Wing of St. Benedicts Hospital sat. The development and construction of the homes was guided by Steve Yndo, who served as the general partner. Four of these houses are externally identical, the exterior design by Jim Poteet, and the fifth is of the same design style.

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418 Madison

410-430 Madison are modern infill designs, the thick plastered concrete walls and deep overhangs suggest a Texas adaptation of the early California modernism of Irving Gill. Each L-plan house encloses an urban courtyard and provides a single-family residential face on Madison Street. Purchased by St. Benedicts’s of SA, LTD, in 2004 and sold to Madison Street Townhomes, LP, in 2007, these houses are located where the 1950s Wing of St. Benedicts Hospital sat. The development and construction of the homes was guided by Steve Yndo, who served as the general partner. Four of these houses are externally identical, the exterior design by Jim Poteet, and the fifth is of the same design style.

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427 Madison

Charles J. Chabot bought part of this property from Thomas J. Devine and part from his parents, George S. and Mary Chabot (403 Madison) in 1889 shortly before he married his first wife, Pauline Waelden. She died after their only child, Frederick C. Chabot (429 Madison), was born in 1891. The house was probably built about 1894 when Mr. Chabot married Lillian B. Hugo. The 1901 city directory shows him here and lists his business “(Wagner & Chabot), typewriters, bicycles, 309 Navarro” A.H. Halff rented here between 1903 and 1910 while the Chabots were living in Dallas. Mr. Chabot was tragically widowed in 1907, and, before he moved back to this house in 1912, he married his third wife, Olive Anderson Johnston. After she was widowed, Mrs. Chabot and the Chabot’s daughter, Mary, sold the property, which was a duplex at the time, to Roberto B. and Guadalupe L. Sanchez in 1959. The Sanchez Family, including daughters Luisa and Diana (see 332 King William) moved in and soon reconverted the house to a family residence.Mr. Sanchez was a businessman and one of his many businesses, “The Sanchez Ice House,” continues to operate today. Mrs. Sanchez believed in physical fitness before it was a fad. She spent many years physically maintaining her garden and in her later years would bicycle or walk between 6 and 7pm each evening before returning home to watch the novelas. This house remained the center of their family, and at one time four generations lived in the neighborhood, until Mrs. Sanchez died in 2001. The house now belongs to her daughter, Luisa Maria, and her husband, Milton Naumann.

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422 Madison

410-430 Madison are modern infill designs, the thick plastered concrete walls and deep overhangs suggest a Texas adaptation of the early California modernism of Irving Gill. Each L-plan house encloses an urban courtyard and provides a single-family residential face on Madison Street.Purchased by St. Benedicts’s of SA, LTD, in 2004 and sold to Madison Street Townhomes, LP, in 2007, these houses are located where the 1950s Wing of St. Benedicts Hospital sat. The development and construction of the homes was guided by Steve Yndo, who served as the general partner. Four of these houses are externally identical, the exterior design by Jim Poteet, and the fifth is of the same design style.

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426 Madison

410-430 Madison are modern infill designs, the thick plastered concrete walls and deep overhangs suggest a Texas adaptation of the early California modernism of Irving Gill. Each L-plan house encloses an urban courtyard and provides a single-family residential face on Madison Street.Purchased by St. Benedicts’s of SA, LTD, in 2004 and sold to Madison Street Townhomes, LP, in 2007, these houses are located where the 1950s Wing of St. Benedicts Hospital sat. The development and construction of the homes was guided by Steve Yndo, who served as the general partner. Four of these houses are externally identical, the exterior design by Jim Poteet, and the fifth is of the same design style.

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429 Madison

This address does not appear in the city directory until 1918, and all the residents were renters. The construction date is uncertain, however, Frederick C. Chabot borrowed $3500 against this property in November of 1924 and promised to maintain the existing buildings and insure them. L.F. and Eleanor Reynolds were renters from 1921 until 1924 at this address. Even though the house does not appear on the 1924 Sanford map, it would seem that it was built between 1918 and 1921. In 1941 Hugh and Luz Dixon purchased the duplex from Frederick Chabot, and remodeled it into four apartments. Mrs. Dixon sold the property to Renee and Sam Martinez in 2000. Susan and John Likovich purchased the house in 2003 and sold it to Frederic Wile in 2005.

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430 Madison

410-430 Madison are modern infill designs, the thick plastered concrete walls and deep overhangs suggest a Texas adaptation of the early California modernism of Irving Gill. Each L-plan house encloses an urban courtyard and provides a single-family residential face on Madison Street.Purchased by St. Benedicts’s of SA, LTD, in 2004 and sold to Madison Street Townhomes, LP, in 2007, these houses are located where the 1950s Wing of St. Benedicts Hospital sat. The development and construction of the homes was guided by Steve Yndo, who served as the general partner. Four of these houses are externally identical, the exterior design by Jim Poteet, and the fifth is of the same design style.

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433 Madison

Henry and Emily Muelendorff bought this corner lot from Thomas J. Devine in July of 1886 and almost immediately executed a Mechanic’s Lien with the Bexar County Building and Loan Association to build “a one-story rock house” here. Agnes James Terry (sister of Vinton James, 303 King William) purchased the property from them in 1890, at the same time acquiring the lot beside it from Thomas J. Devine. The house was rental property until Agnes James Shropshire and her husband, L.L. Shropshire sold the property to William and Clara Appmann in 1907. They remodeled it, adding the upper floor. Mrs. Appmann, sister of Mrs. Albert Steves Sr. (504 King William), sold the property to Juan Filizola in 1919 and the Filizola family owned it from about 1920 until 1963. At the beginning and end of that period, someone of this family lived there, and in between it was rented. Sam and Hortense Gonzales purchased the property in 1969, and sold it to Gerald and Mabel Anderson in 1977. Doyle Walsh bought it in 1980, Lynda Synnott in 1981, and Nancy Price in 1983.

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306 East Johnson

In the summer of 1972, 85-year-old Mrs. John Ewald Droemer, née Annie Marie Goetze, made a trip to San Antonio from Giddings, Texas, for the express purpose of visiting once more the little stone house at 306 E. Johnson, where she was born in 1887. Her father, William Goetze, migrated to Texas from Germany in 1877, settling first in Austin. In 1883, with his wife and several children, he moved to San Antonio and began to build this house with limestone from a nearby river bed. Mr. Goetze made payments to Ed. Steves over the years and was finally given title to the house in 1889 with the caveat that “The irrigation ditch in front of said lot on Johnson Street built by Ed Steves is reserved for” his use and that Mr. Goetze would maintain it. Mr. Goetze was a cabinet maker by trade, but found that he could obtain steadier employment as a carpenter. He worked all his life for the same contractor. The house was built “L” shaped, and a well was dug in the rear near the kitchen. As the family increased in numbers, Mr. Goetze enlarged the house, enclosing the back section. He dug a new well farther away, using dirt from the second well to fill in the first. In 1894, Goetzes moved to McDonna, and C. Griesenbeck bought the house, which adjoined his property on Alamo Street. Baldwin Griesenbeck bought the property from his father in 1898, and when he died in 1902 left the property to his nephews, Carlos and Clyde Griesenbeck. They deeded the property to their mother in 1918, and she used the house as a rental. After her death the property was purchased by Christine Carvajal. Ms. Bonita Simpson bought the property in 2015.

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500/502 Madison

Carlos and Clyde Griesenbeck inherited this lot from their uncle, Baldwin Griesenbeck, in 1902 when they were both minors. They deeded this lot to their mother, Mrs. Lulu Griesenbeck, in 1918, and she executed a mechanics lien with Ed Steves & Sons for the construction of the duplex. The house makes its first appearance in the city directory in 1921 with Mrs. Lulu Griesenbeck living at 502 and renters, J.H. and Henrietta Katz, at 500. Mrs. Griesenbeck lived here until her death in 1958, and in 1971 her son Clyde and other heirs sold the property to Christine Carvajal. The property is currently owned by RADICI Partners LLC.

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501/503 Madison

This duplex was probably built by Ed Steves and Sons. It first appeared in the 1924 city directory while the property was still owned by the Steves family. The first residents were E.A. and Lucille Hutchins, living in one apartment (501) with the other apartment being vacant (503). R.H.H. Hugman, who is credited with the idea of a “riverwalk” after the floods of 1920, lived here from 1927 to 1931. He designed the Arnesan River Theater as well as a number of the staircases on the downtown section of the riverwalk. Sometime after 1948, when Ed. Steves and Sons became Steves Industries, Inc., the property was sold. Roland and Rosaura Vela purchased it in 1962 and sold it to Silbiano and Mary Martinez in 1963. David and Linda Slanger purchased it from the Martinez estate in 1994.

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504 Madison

This little house was probably built by Lulu Griesenbeck as a rent house, its first tenant living there about 1909. There were others after that, with one woman, Mrs. Edna Gembler, renting this house continuously for 56 years. She lived there from 1916 to 1972, first with her husband, W. J. Gembler, and later as a widow. She died in 1972. Christine Carvajal purchased the property in 1971 from Mrs. Griesenbeck’s son and other heirs. It is now owned by Daniel H. Sepulveda.

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505 Madison

Originally built as the carriage house for Albert Steves at 504 King William, it first shows up with its own address on the 1932 Sanborn map. The conversion from carriage house to dwelling happened sometime before Albert Steves offered this house for rent in the San Antonio Express News on January 7, 1923. The ad stated “Must be seen to be appreciated.” Acosta Florintino was living here in 1927 according to the city directory. The Steves family owned this property until 1948 when Steves Industries, Inc., in the person of Albert Steves III, sold it to Jesus and Edna Suckel. Mary Pane bought the house from them and sold it to Arthur and Mary Louise Valdez in 1970. Alice Lozano bought it in 1986.

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506 Madison

Thomas Devine purchased this land from Sam Maverick in 1844 and sold it to August Faltin in 1889 for $1000. Carl Frederuck Griesenbeck acquired enough property so that each of his children received a gift of land. He and his wife bought lots 3 and 4, which ran from Madison to Alamo. Later both lots were transferred to their daughter, Emily. In 1908, Emily Griesenbeck, doing business as a single woman, divided her lots in half and sold the halves that faced Alamo. She granted a Deed of Trust to Louise Schuetze Lodge No. 5 Order of the Sons of Hermann in which she promised to construct “a frame dwelling house on the western part of lot No. Three. The house she built first appeared in the city directory in 1910. Her descendants have owned the property since, first her son, Carl F. Scudder, and currently her grandson, William J. Scudder.

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509/511 Madison

Thomas J. Devine sold this lot to Mrs. G. H. Van Guilder in 1895 for $900. Mrs. Van Guilder sold it in 1908 to C.C. Van Guilder. After several lawsuits, including one where Mr. Van Guilder alleged he was taken advantage of as a minor, the lot was sold to M.S. Hallam in 1921. Listed as a vacant new house in the 1922 city directory, this duplex was probably built by Mr. Hallam. Hertha M. Watkins, a widow, purchased this property from The Grand Lodge of the Order of the Sons of Herman in the State of Texas in 1941. She and her husband, W. A Fuller, sold it to Fred and Carrie Montez in 1952. Melchor and Anna Estrada purchased the house from Carrie Montez in 1977. Anna Yolanda Flores owned the house until 2017, when she sold it to Neriza and Eugene Simor.

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514 Madison

In 1895 William C. Kalteyer built this house, numbered 1217, facing South Alamo. In constructing the house he used old growth cypress wood, which has made this wood frame structure especially immune to wood rot. The last of the Kalteyer family to live here was daughter Gertrude, who never married. In 1973 she and her brother Curtis sold the home to Sacoma Properties. In 1974, L. Peterson bought it and sold it to Walter N. Mathis. Mr. Mathis turned the house around to face Madison Street and sold it to Theodore Bailey and Jessie Simpson in September of 1975. They restored the house and constructed a two-story back porch instead of the original one-story. Subsequent owners have enclosed the back porches. Mary Ann Bryne purchased the house in 1984 and sold it in 1986 to Martin A. and Barbara Defrancesco. Christina E. Macdougall Lopez and Jesse Lopez (1992), Varqa Rouhipour (2009), and Patty and Robert M. Morehead III (2013) were subsequent owners.

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521 Madison

Mrs. W.A. Griesenbeck bought this lot about 1903 and built the house sometime later. The first year it is listed in the city directory is 1907. It was rental property from then until 1943 when Mrs. Flora (Wallrath) Zimmermann bought it from Mrs. Griesenbeck’s heirs. From 1954 until about 1977 it was the home of Mr. and Mrs. Teodoro Jasso. Mrs. Maria Barron owned it until 1997, Mary Vannoy owned it until 2004, and Hong Deng and Connie Cheng bought it in 2007.

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525 Madison

This two story house, situated on two lots, was willed to Thomas N. Devine and his wife, Mary, by his father, Thomas J. Devine. It was deeded to them in August 1890. According to the city directory, no one had occupied the house previously. The Devines moved after about a year and rented the house until 1898. They sold it to J. M. and Birdie Nix, who lived here while they were building the houses at 432 and 434 King William. Theirs was a short residency, also. Gus M. and Tillie Froebel bought the house in 1906. Gus was the son of Martin and Annie Froebel, who built 228 Washington. This house was their family home until 1960, when their daughter, Carolyn, sold it to D.E. and Mary Trantham. Genaro Martinez bought the house in 1971 and in 1974 sold it to the present owners, Edward H. Slezak and Caroline Matthews. Ms. Matthews, a local entrepreneur, is the founder and owner of Dos Carolinas.

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222 East Guenther

The first owners of this house were architect Albert Beckmann and his wife, Marie Dorothea Guenther, daughter of Carl H. Guenther. Albert was born in this city but received his professional training in Germany. Mr. Beckmann designed and built their house before 1887. At that time the address was 529 Madison. About 1933 the front gateways moved around the corner to Guenther Street, and the number 222 was posted on the door facing that direction, thus the change in address.Beckmann's son Adolph and his wife, Milby Gibbs Beckman, lived in the house until it was sold to Julian and White, architects, in May, 1956. Milby, the last of the family to live here, was the daughter of Alfred Giled (308 King William). In 1965 the property was purchased by O’Neil Ford and Sam Zisman. It was used by the firm of Ford, Powell, and Carson until Howard and Zella Forsyth purchased it in 1981. Donald and Betty Jo Schwartz bought the house in 1992 and sold it to William and Paula Stallcup in 2004. Jennifer and Julie Hopper Abad made it their home in 2014.

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221 East Guenther

Matilda Guenther’s brother-in-law, Albert Beckmann (222 East Guenther) designed this house in preparation for her wedding to Hermann Schuchard. Her parents, Carl H. and Dorothea Guenther (205 East Guenther), had given the lot to her in 1891. Mr. Schuchard had worked as a prescription clerk for George Kalteyer and prior to his marriage on September 10, 1892 he was proprietor of Kalteyer and Schuchard, a drug store at 661 Main. After Matilda died in 1940, Mr. Schuchard gave the house to his daughter, Marie Charlotte Bibb. She and her husband, Richard Bibb, lived here from the 1940s until her death in 1965 and his in 1973. After Edward J. and Bobbie Masoro bought the house from her in 1973, Mrs. Masoro meticulously restored the original interior woodwork. Ronald Bruce Pittmann and Lee-Anne C. Pearce bought the house in 1986 and sold it to James Travis Capps Jr. in 2006. Timoteo III and Lisa Cabrera bought it in 2011.

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219 East Guenther

This house was probably built by Adolph Wagner around 1884 or 1885. He was in business selling crockery, glassware, etc., associated first with one of the Chabots. Later the company was called Newton, Weller, Wagner. Mr. Wagner was also treasurer of the Guenther Mills. His wife was Amanda Guenther, daughter of Carl H. Guenther. The property stayed in the same family and was willed to the mill. It was used for offices, for a time leased to O’Neil Ford for his architecture firm; E. F. Flowers also had offices here. It was sold in 1975 to Mr. R. M. “Batt” and Paulette Batterson. They completed the difficult job of reconverting the building to residential use. The Battersons sold the property to Roger and Phyllis Sherman in 1996. It is now owned by Boris P. Abad-Guerra and Elizabeth V. Abad.

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205 East Guenther

Carl H. Guenther migrated to Texas from Germany in 1851 and settled in Fredericksburg, where he built his first mill. There he married Henrietta Dorothea Pape. In 1859 he moved to San Antonio and bought the property where the present Pioneer Flour Mills stands for $2500. In 1860, after erecting his new mill, he built this stone house for his family. Underneath the two upper stories, added in later years, is the original one-story home where he reared his family. Like many residents of this neighborhood over the years, the Guenthers wanted their adult children nearby. To that end, they helped their children build houses at 219, 221 and 222 East Guenther. The original house was used by the mill as offices and storage but is now The Guenther House Restaurant and Museum.

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528 King William

This house was built around 1880 as the residence of August Biesenbach, who was in the mercantile business, selling hardware and household items.The 1883 city directory lists Richard J. Clark as resident. In 1885, it lists C. A. Piper, hardware merchant; in 1889, James Foster, a stockman; and in 1891, Benjamin Baldwin, road contractor. Through the years many people have rented the house. Around 1926, Ernst Schuchard lived at this address while his home at 516 King William was being built. The longest residency was that of Lawrence and Regina Hurst, who lived here from about 1928 until 1955. Regina was the daughter of Albert F. Beckmann, who built the home at 222 East Guenther Street. The Biesenbach House served as the office of Ford, Powell and Carson, Architects, from 1955 until 1981. During that time they designed the campanile and many other buildings at Trinity University, the Tower of the Americas in the Hemisfair park, the Hilton Palacio del Rio and many other San Antonio edifices.Sudduth and Charlotte Cummings bought the house in 1981, John and Carol Jinkins in 1988. Bill and Roselyn Cogburn bought the house in 1992 and have been tireless neighborhood advocates and volunteers since. Roselyn’s garden contains many native plants including the Rose Belle Cockran Iris.

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524 King William

In 1881 this house was listed in the city directory as the home of Albert Moye. He and his wife, Mathilda, must have built the house soon after he bought the lot from Ed Steves in June, 1881, for $350. After Mathilda died in December 1896, he sold the house to Max Krakauer, husband of his daughter Minna, and moved to his daughter Emelie Piper’s home at 422 Perieda, now The Beethoven House. During his life he was a saddler, a collector, a civil war soldier carrying the title Col., and, from his business located on East Commerce Street, an insurance and real estate salesman. From 1897 to 1900 Werner Wilkens, treasurer of the Guenther Mills, rented here. Marie Beckmann bought the house from Minna Krakauer in 1909 and sold it to her son Adolph in 1915. He and his new wife, Milby, made this their residence until around 1922, when they moved to the Beckmann family home at 529 Madison Street. The house had a number of renters until 1944, when it was purchased by Robert Lee and Theckla Morgan. Leonard A. and Shirlie Tschirhart bought it in 1975, Harry and Caroline Howitt in 1979, William and Irmgard McGehee in 1985, Bart Nicholes, and Karine Berghauser in 1999, and James and Shawn Campbell in 2008.

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523 King William

At the turn of the 19th century, one of the most elegant restaurants and confectioneries in San Antonio was that of Harnisch and Baer (109 West Commerce Street). The Baer was Mrs. Josephine Baer, Mr. Carl Harnisch’s mother-in-law. They featured a bakery for fine cakes and pastries and served their own ice cream, which was manufactured at a plant behind the Harnisch residence. The restaurant interior was decorated with potted palms, banana trees, and other plants. It was the place to go for gourmet foods and delicious refreshments. Carl Harnisch lived here, and his house was no less ornate than his place of business. In 1884 he bought three lots at this corner and built his house sometime before 1892, when the city directory lists him living here. He lived here until the year of his death, 1920. The house belonged to his daughter, Charlotte Guenther, and then to his granddaughter, Marie Louisa Guenther James, who lived there for a time after her marriage to Theodore James (303 King William). The title was transferred to C.W. Guenther & Son, Inc. in 1963, and Daryl Engel bought the property in 1970. Stephen and Debra Walker purchased the house from the Engel estate and spent several years renovating the house. Just before they moved in, the house burned and was condemned by the city, but the Walkers were determined to save it; eventually they convinced the regulatory powers to spare the structure. Notable features they saved are the many porches and gables decorated with wooden scroll work, the brick arch over the front door with carved keystone, and especially the canopy over the front stoop that seems to be held up by slender twisted iron posts and fancy iron work.

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516 King William

This house was built in 1927 for the late Ernst Schuchard and his first wife, Elizabeth, but it has the appearance and charm, both inside and out, of homes built forty or fifty years earlier. Ernst was the son of Hermann and Mathilda Guenther Schuchard (221 East Guenther). His first cousin, Kurt Beckmann, was the architect for this interesting house constructed of native limestone over hollow tile. At first, the yard consisted of two lots purchased from the Steves family. In 1948, the additional land to the north was acquired. A most interesting feature of the place is the wrought iron fence, which is much older than the house. It was not easy to come by; Mrs. Dorothy Schuchard, Ernst’s second wife, spent much time and effort searching in San Antonio and surrounding towns for matching pieces of fencing. Uncovering a section here and a section there, and even a gate of the same design, she finally had acquired enough for the 160-foot frontage. Edward and Dana Haverlah bought the house in 2002, and the current residents are Neriza and Eugene Simor.

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509 King William

The Steves Homestead with its priceless antiques is open to the public daily and is listed in An American Heritage Guide to Historic Houses in America. It was designed by architect Alfred Giles and built in 1876 for Edward Steves, Sr., by John H. Kampmann and Anthony Earhart.Johann Heinrich Stefes, father of Edward Steves, migrated from Germany to Texas with his motherless children in 1848, coming by way of Indianola to New Braunfels, where he bought a farm not far from the town. Immediately on reaching this country he Anglicized his name to Steves.Edward Steves learned carpentering, but had to return to the farm to help his ill father. Before he married Johanna Kloepper of New Braunfels in 1857, he settled on farm land of his own at Cypress Creek, not far from the town of Comfort. In 1866, he decided to sell his farm, move to San Antonio, and open a retail lumber business. This he did after some difficulties, calling the business Ed. Steves Lumber Company. Later it became Ed. Steves & Sons, the sons being Edward Jr., Albert, and Ernest. Early in his business career Mr. Steves began to invest in real estate and real estate loans. He recognized the need for such financial assistance to home buyers and builders at that time. The land on which he built his home was part of the sixteen lots he purchased in the King William Area.Mr. Steves died in 1890. His wife and his son Ernest continued to live in the home until 1930, when they both passed away. The house became the property of Mrs. Curtis Vaughan, daughter of Albert Steves, Sr., and was rented until 1952, when Mrs. Vaughan presented it to the San Antonio Conservation Society. Meetings of the society are held in the River Haus, which was converted into an assembly hall by the organization. This structure, located on the San Antonio River bank, was built by Mrs. Steves to house a swimming pool. The water was supplied by an artesian well, which had already been drilled on the property by Mrs. Steves for watering the many pecan trees on the grounds.The yellow picket fence in front of the house is of unique construction. The little fastening that was necessary was done by using wooden pegs. Mr. Steves erected the fence before he built the house and made it of long-lasting cypress wood. The fountain in the side yard was purchased by the Steves at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in 1876.

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504 King William

Albert Steves Sr., son of Edward Steves Sr., built this house, designed by Alfred Giles, in time for his marriage to Fanny Baetz in 1883. He was associated with his father and brother in the lumber business and held many positions of importance in San Antonio, among them mayor of the city and officer of two different banks. Around 1900, additions were made to the house and the façade was altered. Originally the property extended all the way to Madison Street on the east. In the 1920s what had been a combined stable and carriage house was remodeled into a residence that is now 505 Madison Street. Mr. Steves died in 1936 and his widow, Fanny, continued to live in the home until her death in 1949. Their daughter, Mrs. Stella Steves Walker, stayed in the home until 1951, when the property was sold to Mr. Alfred Casillas. In 1971 this became the home of Dr. Ernest and Karen Casillas, son and daughter-law of Alfred Casillas. Roy Pachecano purchased the home in 2005, and it is now owned by The Laurel Heights Family Trust.

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434 King William

In 1878 Thomas J. Devine sold these two lots to Charles C. and Adelia Cresson (337 Madison). Birdie L. Nix purchased them from the Cressons in 1899, and the following year her husband, J. M. Nix, built these two houses. Mr. and Mrs. Nix lived at 432 from about 1902 until 1907, when they sold it to Mary Beale Gleason. In 1919, Mrs. Virginia Hardy bought the property and lived there with her husband for a while. She was not in residence there in 1943 when Mr. A. W. Bouquet purchased the house. Mr. Bouquet’s daughter, Mrs. Edna Rose Reed, lived there until she sold the property to Roy Pachecano (Portico Residential, LLC) in 2007. Shelley and Peter Galbraith bought it in 2012 and completed the renovation. The house at 434 was purchased from the Nixes by J.P. Hooper on April 19, 1901 for $5500. The house sold four more times (Mrs. Mary E. Tuttle in 1905, J.H. Kirkpatirck in 1908, George M. Clifton in 1908, and Joe Frost in 1909) before Mrs. Francisca Flores bought it in 1912. She lived here until around 1924. In the 1930s and 1940s the house was rented. In 1948 Christine Carvajal purchased the house and, with other members of her family, made it her home until her death. Mr. Pachecano purchased the home in 2005 and conducted extensive renovations including the new two story addition at the rear of the house. He sold the house in 2010 to David and Patricia Bond. Roy Pachecano and his wife, Sophia, repurchased the property in 2016 and made it their home. Mr. Pachecano is an architect and the author of “The Nix Houses,” a history of these properties and his reconstruction of them. He traces the design of these houses to Atlee B. Ayres.

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432 King William

In 1878 Thomas J. Devine sold these two lots to Charles C. and Adelia Cresson (337 Madison). Birdie L. Nix purchased them from the Cressons in 1899, and the following year her husband, J. M. Nix, built these two houses. Mr. and Mrs. Nix lived at 432 from about 1902 until 1907, when they sold it to Mary Beale Gleason. In 1919, Mrs. Virginia Hardy bought the property and lived there with her husband for a while. She was not in residence there in 1943 when Mr. A. W. Bouquet purchased the house. Mr. Bouquet’s daughter, Mrs. Edna Rose Reed, lived there until she sold the property to Roy Pachecano (Portico Residential, LLC) in 2007. Shelley and Peter Galbraith bought it in 2012 and completed the renovation. The house at 434 was purchased from the Nixes by J.P. Hooper on April 19, 1901 for $5500. The house sold four more times (Mrs. Mary E. Tuttle in 1905, J.H. Kirkpatirck in 1908, George M. Clifton in 1908, and Joe Frost in 1909) before Mrs. Francisca Flores bought it in 1912. She lived here until around 1924. In the 1930s and 1940s the house was rented. In 1948 Christine Carvajal purchased the house and, with other members of her family, made it her home until her death. Mr. Pachecano purchased the home in 2005 and conducted extensive renovations including the new two story addition at the rear of the house. He sold the house in 2010 to David and Patricia Bond. Roy Pachecano and his wife, Sophia, repurchased the property in 2016 and made it their home. Mr. Pachecano is an architect and the author of “The Nix Houses,” a history of these properties and his reconstruction of them. He traces the design of these houses to Atlee B. Ayres.

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431 King William

This is one of three Steves homes on as many corners of Johnson and King William Street. It was designed by Alfred Giles and built for Edward Steves Jr. around 1884 when he married his first wife, Julia Isabella Martin. That same year he left the family lumber business founded by his father, Edward Steves Sr., and started operating a company dealing in guns, ammunition, and other merchandise. Three generations of the Edward Steves Jr. family lived in this limestone house. In time it became the home of Edward M. Steves (son of Edward Steves Jr.) and his wife, Carrie. Mrs. Carrie Steves sold the property to Kay Kline and Philip Kline in 1977. The carriage house and hexagonal addition to the rear of the house were built in the 1980s. Peter and Karen Van Nort purchased the property in 1994, Jefferson Erck in 1998, Ryan T. Hagino and Edith D. Canby-Hagino in 2003, and Caroline A. Forgason in 2014.

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425 King William

George Kalteyer built this house around 1892. He was founder and president of San Antonio Drug Company and also president of Alamo Cement Company. The latter company was formed after Mr. Kalteyer, a trained chemist, tested some of the clay around San Antonio and found it suitable for making Portland cement. The house is one of the few remaining designed by James Riely Gordon, who designed the Bexar County Courthouse and many others in Texas. George Kalteyer died in 1897 at the age of 48, leaving his widow, Johanna, who lived on in the home until 1907. Then she built the house at 332 King William because she wanted a simpler residence. Mrs. Kalteyer and Mrs. Ed Steves Sr., also named Johanna, were good friends as well as neighbors and used to enjoy their afternoon coffee together, first at the home of one and then of the other in turn. They had a custom of calling each other to this repast by going out on the porch and ringing a small bell. After selling the Driskill Hotel in Austin for $100,000, Ed Seeling was able to buy this property in 1907. Over the next several years all three of the Seeling daughters were married on the verandah. Daughter Clara and son-in-law T.E. Lowrey continued to live in the home until 1942. When Viola Dismukes bought the house in 1946, it was several apartments. Sidney J. Francis, who purchased the property in 1973, completely restored the property including the combination gas and electric light fixtures. Sydney and Janet Francis sold the property in 2005 to Tobin Walker and Gina Hughes.

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422 King William

Among the many architectural styles in this area, the Ike West house is truly one of a kind. One cannot help admiring its unique beauty. It was built about 1888 by Smith M. Ellis. In 1892, Sol West, a stockman, paid him $8000 for the property. The home passed to his son Ike West Sr., whose widow Nellie B. West was the last of the family to live there. In 1965 she presented the house to the San Antonio Conservation Society. The society rented the house to Mr. and Mrs. James P. Egan. Charles O. and Kay Scheer became owners of the property in 1973 and as a part of their restoration added about 30 feet to the back of the house. Helmuth and Carolyn Naumer purchased the house in 1980, James Lazarus and Ardis Burst in 1986, Raymond and Dona Armstrong in 1999, Paul Alan Boskind in 2004, and Annie Marie and Dirk Justin Elmendorf in 2011.

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419 King William

According to the Bexar County deed records, Col. Elias Edmonds, attorney, bought the two lots where this house is located from F. G. Smith in September, 1874. F.G. Smith had purchased them in 1871 from Thomas J. Devine. The colonel bought the third lot on the north side of the property from Thomas Devine in February, 1878. The city directory lists Col. Edmonds and his wife, Lucy, at this address for the first time in 1879. This would place the date of the house’s construction between 1875 and 1878. At the same location Mrs. Edmonds conducted a young ladies boarding and day school, of which she was the principal. This was the Edmonds’ home until about 1915. In 1924, Dr. Amos and Catherine Graves bought the house. The next owners were Dr. Otto and Virginia Cowdin Potthast, who purchased the property in 1938. Dr. Potthast’s nephew and his wife, Henry and Louise Potthast, owned the house from 1976 until 1990. During their time there, the porch, which had been missing, was reconstructed. When compared to pictures of the original it is very similar. James and Dorothy Winget continued the restoration and added a bedroom, sun room and kitchen designed by Ron Bechtol in 1993. The current owner is Sheila Winget Murray, who grew up in the neighborhood and remembers as a child walking atop this fence before the wrought iron was installed.

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414 King William

In December, 1884, Smith M. Ellis bought this lot from Thomas J. Devine for $750. He built a house on the property and lived there with his wife, Josie, until he moved into the adjoining residence he built at 422 King William. He then sold the cottage to Otto Meusebach in January, 1889, for $2500. Otto, with the Calaveras Sand Co., Otto's wife, Martha,and his brother, Max, manager of the San Antonio Sand Co., made this their residence until Max married and moved in 1895. Otto stayed here until about 1901 when the house was sold on the courthouse steps to settle a judgement. Otto and Max were sons of Baron Ottofried Hans Meusebach, who came to the United States from Germany to look after the welfare of German immigrants in Texas. In 1845 he founded the town of Fredericksburg, Texas. He became an American citizen and changed his name to John Meusebach. From 1905 to 1908, J. H. Savage owned this property. In the following years there were various owners and renters. Albert B. and Margaret B. Skwortz acquired the house in 1929, and it remained part of their estate until 1974. The original house had been obscured by asbestos siding, and other changes had been made through the years, including the removal of the bay window on the south side. Walter Mathis bought the house, removed the siding, remodeled it and then sold it to his sister, Agnes Bain, who lived here for many years. It is now the property of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

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410 King William

Josiah Pancoast was in the tailoring business with his father, Aaron Pancoast, Sr. (See 203 King William) when he built the house at 404 King William about 1878. The property had three lots, and to the south of the house was a tennis court. The two corner lots were purchased from Thomas J. Devine in November, 1877, for $1025. At first the house had only one story, as shown on Augustus Koch’s pictorial map for 1886. As his family grew, Mr. Pancoast enlarged the house until it reached its present appearance. Sometime after the turn of the century, Mr. Pancoast built the cottage at 410 for $1200. It was situated on the lot where the tennis court had been. From about 1904 the house was occupied by renters. During World War I, it was the home of the Joshua W. Dove family. Mrs. Dove was Mr. Pancoast’s daughter Mary. This house was sold in 1959 along with the one at 404. Walter Mathis bought the house in 1971 and restored it. You can see his signature Texas Stars on the decorative border over the porch. His sister, Agnes Bain, bought it in 1975. The current owner, Lynn Osborne Bobbitt, purchased the property in 1978.

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404 King William

Josiah Pancoast was in the tailoring business with his father, Aaron Pancoast, Sr. (See 203 King William) when he built the house at 404 King William about 1878. The property had three lots, and to the south of the house was a tennis court. The two corner lots were purchased from Thomas J. Devine in November, 1877, for $1025. At first the house had only one story, as shown on Augustus Koch’s pictorial map for 1886. As his family grew, Mr. Pancoast enlarged the house until it reached its present appearance. Mr. and Mrs. Pancoast had seven children, George, Emeline, Mary, Frank, Nellie, Joseph, and Henry. “Miss Nellie” was the last to live in the house and she left it due to ill health in 1959. The house was then sold to Miss Lady Brady. Walter N. Mathis bought it in 1971 and restored it to its former elegance. Agnes Bain bought the house in 1973, Josephine Bain and Paul Fauerso in 1974, and Corinne and Harvey Howell in 1978. The current owners, Anthony and Ruth Montgomery, purchased the house in 1994.

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401 King William

Russell C. Norton, a hardware merchant, purchased these lots from Thomas Devine on September 4, 1869, for $1100. In 1876 he and his wife, Ellen, built a one-story four-room house of cut limestone designed by Francis Crider, a San Antonio architect. The second owner, Edwin Polk, a stockman, acquired the property in 1881 and proceeded to enlarge it by adding a brick wing of two stories and a porch. Mr. Polk lost the property through foreclosure in December, 1895. E.B. Chandler and Thomas Franklin purchased it at auction and sold it to renowned trail boss and cattleman Ike T. Pryor in 1896. The three-story tower, as well as the front arched balcony and porch, were added by the Pryors. Col. D. R. Fant Sr. bought the property from them in 1901, and his family lived there until 1908. Seven different owners followed. In 1967 Mr. Walter N. Mathis bought the property and painstakingly restored it. In 1971 it was recorded as a Texas Historical Landmark. From the street, one can see such details as the wide entrance way of oak framing the front door with an intricately carved arch over the top, the formal garden on one side of the grounds, the front fence of stone and lacy iron work. In the late 1970s Mr. Mathis began the process of planting Texas red oaks and the old fashioned dark pink crape myrtles at his home and throughout the neighborhood. When Mr. Mathis died in 2005 he left “Villa Finale” and its furnishings to the National Trust for Historic Preservation. which now owns and operates the house museum. It is open for visitors most days.

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335 King William

The San Antonio Area Council of Girl Scouts purchased this house in 1957 from Mrs. F. G. Antonio, who bought the property from the Groos family in 1948. In back of the house is a large yard, which was used for the Girl Scout day camp program. The grounds extend to the walk along the San Antonio River, as do the yards of all the homes on the northwest side of the street in the four and five hundred blocks of King William Street. There are two Groos homes in the area built by brothers who were born in Germany. On coming to Texas they settled in Eagle Pass before moving to San Antonio. At first they were in the mercantile business, before turning to banking and founding Groos National Bank of San Antonio. The other Groos home is at 231 Washington Street. Carl Groos built this house around 1880. It was designed by architect Alfred Giles and is a fine example of a native limestone house built in the Victorian style. After Mr. Groos died in 1892, other members of his family lived in the home. One of the last was his son, Franz V. Groos, who was president of the Groos Bank.

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334 King William

The story of this house is unusual because the history of the land and the history of the house follow different paths until the house was moved to this lot in about 1950 and their histories joined. Carl Groos purchased three lots from Thomas Devine in 1881 and his widow, Hulda, sold one of them to Johanna Kalteyer for her house at 332 King William. In 1945, Carl’s son, Franz Groos, sold the rest of it to Mr. O. Wolf who resold the property to La Trinidad Methodist Church in 1949. The house began its life in 1921 as a parsonage for the Mexican Methodist Episcopalian Church located at San Saba and Produce Row. Built from salvaged materials from the 1886 frame sanctuary that was torn down to make room for a new brick edifice, the parsonage contains elements not normally found in a structure of this age. Walter Mathis bought the house in 1975. Niles, who introduced the purple King William Iris to the neighborhood, and his wife, Mary Norton bought it in 1976. They added the board and batten siding, the front porch detailing, the metal roof and an addition to the rear of the house. Judge Olin B. Strauss, 81st District Court from 1984 to 2002, and his wife, Erin, an elementary teacher in a number of south Texas independent school districts, bought the house in 2003 after they retired.

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332 King William

In March of 1908 Mrs. Johanna Kalteyer, widow of George Kalteyer (425 King William), purchased this lot from Mrs. Carl Groos and built a house on it. She lived here from 1909 until her death in 1915. The property was a rental unit until 1926 when Mrs. Kalteyer’s son, Fred, sold it to Augusta W. Witting and her unmarried children: Regina, Tilla, Sophie and George, an editor with the San Antonio Express News. The entire family moved from 930 South Presa and lived here until their deaths. Their only surviving nephew, Augustus A. Witting, lived in it until his death. In 1966 the house was sold to James and Barbara Cleveland. In 1968 they sold it to Julian Treviño, a respected educator and former San Antonio Independent School Board president and his wife, Diana Treviño. The Treviño family owned El Mirador restaurant and other local businesses.

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326 King William

This house was built by Henry and Jennie Boerner around 1915. The lot had been purchased in February of that year from Ernst Groos. Mr. Boerner worked for Ed. Steves & Sons. He was the son of Mr. Steves’ youngest sister, Laura, who died soon after his birth in 1861. His father, William Boerner, was killed the next year by Confederate soldiers as he and other Union sympathizers, including his brother-in-law, Heinrich Steves, were attempting to make their way to Mexico rather than swear allegiance to the Rebel Government. Young Henry was reared by his aunt, Emilie Steves Vogt, and her husband. This was the Boerners’ home until 1945 when they sold it to Gabriel Dualde. Francisca and Maria Luisa Escamilla purchased it in 1948. They added a swimming pool, which was somewhat unusual at the time. In 1970 Robert Nunn bought the house and in 1973 sold it to David J. Lee. In late 1976 this became the home of Dr. Judson L. Crow and his family. Michael and Jessica Casillas bought the house in 2003.

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325 King William

Armando and Amanda Morales purchased this lot in 1946 from the Walter Garvin Company. This lot and the one at 321 King William were part of the Hulda Groos Estate. On October 19, 1951, the Morales signed a contract with Jack Morris of Modern Home Improvements. He was to build a house “in a good substantial and workmanlike manner”; they were to pay him $1862.67 upon the completion of construction. The family lived in the house until about the time of Armando’s death in 1986, after that date the house was rented until their sons sold it in 1996.

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322 King William

This small house is constructed on a lot originally purchased from the Hulda Gross estate by the Boerner family, who built 326 King William. The lot served as a side yard to their house at 326 King William until 1951. Francisca and Maria Escamilla, who owned 326 King William at that time, sold it to Consuelo Fincias that year. By 1952 she and her son, Louis Edward Fincias, had designed and moved into the small concrete block home. Consuelo Garza Fincias, a widow, signed a contract on 31 August 1951, which required the Cox Construction Company to “furnish lumber, materials and labor“ to construct improvements on her property. She was to pay them $9000. It was the last house constructed on King William Street. Daniel and Roberta H. Boone purchased the property in 1996.

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321 King William

The Walter Garvin Company purchased this lot from the Hulda Groos estate in 1946 and sold it to Domingo Ramirez. Mr. Ramirez borrowed $4000 from the San Antonio Building and Loan Association in December of 1947. Gaudalupe and Maria Elmira del Carmen Garcia, mother and daughter, bought the property from him in 1948 and assumed that loan. Given the date of their purchase and the fact that the house is on the 1950 Sanborn map, it would appear Mr. Ramirez built the house in 1947. Bruce Duderstadt, an architectural designer for O’Neil Ford and textile artist, bought the house in 1973. It was he who designed and constructed the arbor at the front. When Mary Treviño, co-founder and executive chef (or cook as she demanded to be known) of El Mirador Restaurant, moved here in 1998, four generations of her family were living in the neighborhood. Mary died in 2013 but the house continues to be owned by the family.

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317 King William

Adolph Heusinger, Sr., was a German who migrated to America in 1850, living first in Castroville and then moving to San Antonio. He was first a builder and contractor. In 1877 he started a hardware store, which was located on Military Plaza until 1969, when the business was moved to Dakota Street. It was operated at that location for many years by two of Mr. Heusinger’s great-grandsons. In March, 1883, Mr Heusinger purchased these two lots from Thomas J. Devine for $2300. The brick house he built on the property must have been finished by 1885 for it is shown on the 1886 pictorial map. This was the home of the Heusingers until 1917, when Anna, the widow of Adolph, Sr., died. He had passed away in 1915. Then the house had several changes of ownership, and was converted into apartments and rented in the 1940s. The John Wahls became the owners in 1960. In 1973 they sold the property to Lt. Col. Alva and Mrs. Hazel Conner, who cared for the property until their deaths. The present owner, Erica O. Maloney, purchased the property in 2014.

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316 King William

Alfred Giles purchased four lots, these two along with the two next door, in 1882 for $2050. When M.L. Oppenheimer, a well-known banker and founder of several banks in Texas, purchased these two lots in 1900 the price was $2250. The lots had been sold four times, each new owner making a bit of profit on the sale. The house, occupied by M.L. and Rachael in 1901, was originally numbered 320. The Oppenheimer family lived at this address until 1963, when Raford Dobie purchased the house from the son, Max Leon Oppenheimer.Mr. Dobie, one of the founders of the King William Association, renovated all the woodwork inside, including the oak paneling and the French parquet floors. The first meeting of the Association was held in his home and 316 King William has the distinction of being the house open for the first King William Home Tour in 1968.In 1972 Mr. Dobie sold the house to General W. C. McGlothlin Jr., and Richard Orsinger has owned the home since 1983.

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309 King William

Charles F. A. Hummel built this house in 1884 for $6000. The 29-year-old, a native San Antonian of German descent, was engaged in the business of selling guns, ammunition and sporting goods. The architects were James Wahrenberger and Albert Beckman. From 1912 to 1920 the Hummels lived at 102 Beauregard, then they moved back to the home on King William Street. C.F.A. Hummel was still listed at this address in 1934, and F. G. Hummel in 1936, the last of the family to live there. In 1941 Marie Wurzbach purchased the house and lived there for about nine years. When she died, she left the property to her grandson, Emil Mitchell Robin. It was rented in apartments for some years and then left vacant. In 1972 restoration was begun by Walter Mathis and finished by Thomas and Kathleen Friedrich. Mr. Friedrich regaled neighbors with stories of his time as a private pilot for Idi Amin. Subsequent owners were: Fernando and Beverly Avila (1990), Dieter and Patricia Onken (1994), and the current owners, Deborah Mueller and John Doski, since 1999.

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308 King William

Alfred Giles designed and built this house around 1883. The city directory lists him as the resident from 1885 to 1888, but John J. Waite rented the house earlier. Jay Minter, attorney, lived there from 1888 to 1896; and C. W. Buhler, railroad superintendent, rented the house from 1898 to 1908. A succession of other renters followed until Paul Dreiss bought the house from Sidney James in 1914 when he married Beatrice Giles, daughter of Alfred Giles. Mr. Giles renovated the house as a wedding gift. Mr. and Mrs. Dreiss lived there until 1931. In 1960 Henry and Roma Hafermann purchased this property. It was sold to Walter Mathis in 1987, Steven Schnee in 1990, and Michael and Jessica Casillas in 1995. Margaret Leeds, the current owner, bought it in 1998.

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306 King WIlliam

This house was built by the well-known architect Alfred Giles in 1883. It has the same outward appearance as the house next door at 308. Rafael Diaz, a Cuban exiled from his country for helping in the struggle for independence from Spain, lived here from 1883 to 1888. He had a cigar store on the northwest corner of Commerce and Alamo Streets. Farquhar Lambert, civil engineer for Salter, Slovecki & Company, purchased the house from Giles in 1888 but after some financial difficulties (Alfred Giles and Charles Hummel successfully sued him for nonpayment), he and his wife, Adeline, sold to George Sands. The next owners, Martha and Alberty Bergel, sold to Emma Clay West, wife of Ike West. Renters during this time included: Alfred Bennet, merchant, 1888-1891; L.C. Reynolds, clerk at the post office, 1894-1895; and Albert Reynolds, clerk at Saul Wolfson’s, 1898-1905. F. L. and Minnie Young rented from about 1918 until after Mr. Young’s death in 1938. Minnie bought the house from the West’s son, Champ, in 1941. The property was owned by Mr. and Mrs. Louis Hartley and subsequently their daughter, Sonora Hartley Hopkins, from 1967 to 2013, when it was purchased and totally renovated by Daniel and Sandra Lee Rodriguez.

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303 King William

John J. Stevens and his wife, Bettie, contracted with the Bexar Building and Loan Association to build “a two story stone dwelling house” here in 1881 for $5000. T. W. Harris, a builder and contractor, was to do the actual construction. Mr. Stevens was a native of San Antonio and a man who held many positions of importance, among them that of postmaster of this city. In 1883 James F. Scott, stock dealer, is listed in the city directory as living at this address, and in 1887 the resident was Sidney Tuttle, who was with the San Antonio Gas Co., as was John Stevens. Vinton James purchased the house in 1888. He was author of a book on the early days in San Antonio called Frontier and Pioneer Recollections of Early Days in San Antonio and West Texas. Two of Mr. James’ daughters, Agnes James, a retired school teacher, and Mrs. Carl Groos, lived out their lives here. During the early 1970s, Isaac Maxwell, noted architect and punched copper artist, and his wife, Judith, lived in the downstairs apartment while Miss James lived upstairs. In 1979, the house was sold to Stephen and Elizabeth Golden, who restored it to a single family home. Lionel and Kathy Sosa owned the home from 1987 to 1997. David Zachry and Stephanie Hopper Chapman purchased the property in 1997, Kelton and Mellissa Morgan in 2000, Evangelina and Scott Dilworth III in 2005, and Martin Phipps in 2008.

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302 King William

Frank Winerich purchased the lot at this corner from J. and Fannie Oppenheimer in May, 1902, for $1450. On 29 May 1903, he and his wife, Ida L., gave a mechanic’s lien to W. N. Hagy, a contractor, to build this house. It was completed sometime that year and the city directory lists this address for the first time in 1905 with Mr. Winerich as resident. A.J. and Annie Ridder lived in the house from 1909 to 1922. Harry and Lena Becker owned the property from 1923 until 1951. There were several others until Louis and Margaret Hartley, who owned the house from 1967 until 1984. Edith Stocktardt bought the house in 1984 and sold to Patrick Otten and Randy Dalton in 2016. Distinctive features of the house are a front entrance facing the street corner, brick arches over the first floor windows, and on either side of the building a large window with balcony beneath a small projecting roof. The four gables on the roof are reconstructions of the originals which were destroyed by fire about 2010.

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242 King William

The Sangers, William and Josephine, must have built this house between 1905 and 1906. Mr. Sanger was in the insurance business (Dittmar, Sanger and Oppenheimer). The lot, with a frontage of 83½ feet, was bought for $2500 from the estate of Marie Leroux in October, 1905. Half of the price was paid by Mrs. Sanger with money from her personal funds, and the remainder was furnished by her brother, Edwin Oppenheimer. The next year he deeded his interest in the property to his sister in exchange for her share of the lot at 215 Beauregard.The Sangers resided at this address until about 1945. Subsequently, there were only a few changes in ownership but many changes in the interior configuration. The house was purchased in 1971 by William (Bill) and Carolene Zehner. In 2013 Mrs. Zehner sold the house to Tim Ziegel and Len Ambrosio, who have since completed a total renovation.

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241 King William

Thomas B. Wren, a dealer in hardware and agricultural implements, and his wife, Lizzie, built a one story limestone structure here in 1881. The San Antonio Real Estate Building and Loan Association loaned them $2000 and contracted with Clements Cotton, a carpenter, to complete the work. Alexander Joske’s family had been in San Antonio for 20 years when he bought this property from the Wens in 1892 for $9000. In 1873, his father, Julius Joske, brought his family from Germany to San Antonio and started a mercantile store under the name of J. Joske. As his sons Albert and Alexander came into the business with him and later took it over entirely, the name of the store was changed successively to J. Joske & Sons and then to Joske Bros. Co. It kept this name for many years until it was purchased by Allied Stores, Inc. and named Joske’s of Texas. In 1900 Mr. Joske hired local architect Solon McAdoo to design a grand addition to the original four room Wren house. Mr. McAdoo had worked as a draftsman in the office of Alfred Giles before opening his own firm. Alexander Joske lived here with his wife, Blanche, and their family until around 1922. There have been many changes in ownership and uses since the Joskes lived here. 241 King WIlliam must have always been highly valued by its’ owners, as there have been several protracted legal battles to clarify ownership. When Mary and Charles Abbot owned the house during World War II, it was a rooming house and the front parlor was the location of at least one war-time wedding. Their tenants were primarily young, single women employed in various jobs supporting the war effort. A room on the third floor would cost a renter just $2.50 a week.Jose and Nancy Olivares owned the house in the 1970s and Julia Cauthorn from 1983 until 1985 Theodore Bailey and Jessie Simpson purchased the house in 1985 and restored it. The red roses that grow along the front fence trace their heritage at least 100 years to the homestead of Maggie Ross, Jessie’s grandmother. Ms. Simpson and her husband, WIlliam T. Hoover, live here today.The Joske house has bow windows, tall chimneys and the spacious doorway with its limestone “basket handle” arch and supports. When the original shingle roof was installed it was dyed green to match the shingles on the upper bow windows and the second floor addition over the back part of the house. The pink brick structure located to the northwest of the house was built in 1915 and served as carriage house, laundry and accommodations for the chauffeur.

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236 King William

When the Ernst Altgelt family first moved to San Antonio, they purchased the lot where this house stands from E.P. Alsbury. Included in the sale was one of the two to the south of it, as well as two adjoining lots facing Madison Street. The Altgelts felt that they needed space for their horses, cows and a garden. They hired a carpenter from Comfort, Texas, to erect a house that was finished in May 1867. Since this was the first home on the street, Mr. Altgelt, by city ordinance, was given the honor of naming it, and it is thought that he chose to call it King William in honor of King Wilhelm I of Prussia. Some believe the one-story structure attached to the rear of this house, and hardly noticeable from the street, is the original home. The 1873 pictorial map shows a one-story house closer to the street. On close examination the present building, including the rear, seems to have been built in three stages with the north side predating the southern part. In 1882 Mrs. Altgelt sold the property on King William Street together with the lot at 242 King William to Nicholas Leroux for $5000. The price indicates that there was a substantial house on the grounds. The Leroux family lived at this address from 1882 until about 1900, the last member being Marie Leroux, widow of Constant, son of Nicholas. Mr. Leroux Sr. had come to the United States from France. He and his son were in a successful hardware business with Nicholas Cosgrove, Leroux and Cosgrove. In 1973 the property was purchased by Mr. and Mrs. Adolph Sosa. Current owners, John and Susan Likovich, purchased the property in 2003 and totally renovated it.

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226 King William

Ernst Altgelt migrated to the United States from Germany, established the town of Comfort, Texas, and then moved to San Antonio in 1866 and set up a law practice. He commissioned the building of this house in 1876 but died in 1878 just before it was completed. We know Ed Steves furnished the construction material because he filed a mechanic’s lien against the property. In 1882 Emma Altgelt sold the house to Theodore Schleuning, dealer in groceries, provisions and wines, whose business was located on the west side of Alamo Plaza. After he died around 1898, his widow, Bertha, continued to live here until 1932. Louis Schleuning, their youngest son, occupied the house for four or five years after that. Mrs. Schleuning’s granddaughter, a Mrs. Martin, inherited the property, and it was rented to Mr. and Mrs. Peter Petraitis as a home and music studio until about 1942. In 1944 Mr. and Mrs. George Isbell purchased the house from the Martins and during their time here erected the limestone wall. The grandchildren of Mr. and Mrs. Isbell now own the property and the linden tree Mary wrote about still stands at the southwest corner of the porch.

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225 King William

The Freie Presse fuer Texas was San Antonio’s oldest German newspaper and had the largest circulation in Texas until World War I. It was started in 1869 by A. Simering and G. Pollmer. A later editor was Robert Hanschke, who lived at 225 King William Street from 1880 until about 1921. He bought this lot from Alexander Sartor for $685 in March of 1879. A year later, he and his wife, Elizabeth, signed a contract with the San Antonio Real Estate Building and Loan Association to build a house on this site for $1680. The specifications were several pages long and quite specific including measurements for the house (42’ by 32’6”), the height of the foundation pillars (2’6”), flooring, painting, plaster, etc. A contract the Hanschkes wrote with the Bexar Building and Loan Association in 1886 required Gustav Riman, a builder and contractor, to build the south wing. Its thick walls and extra sturdy floor lead one to believe it may have been built to house the press. In 1966 Ernest Sam Heard bought the property in quite a rundown condition and already divided into apartments, which he remodeled. Much of the elegance of the front of the original house was lost through years of neglect. The fluted Corinthian columns on the porch are gone, and new features have been added to the façade. Allen Klaus and David Dillon remodeled the house a second time in 1976 and sold it in 1977 to the present owner, Michael Casey. The old carriage stone with Robert Hanschke’s initials (barely visible) remains in place by the curb.

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222 King William

On January 2, 1890, Thomas J. Devine sold the south lot of this property to Mrs. M.D. Campbell for $1200. It must have been his last transaction, as he contracted what we now call influenza about that time and died two months later.Mrs. Campbell died later that year and left the property to her children. Mrs. Rosanna Ruiz, wife of Francisco Ruiz of 202 King William, bought the place from them the same year, paying each $550 or $525 for a one-eighth share of the property. From the total amount of the purchase price it would seem a house had been built or at least started.In 1895, by court order, the sheriff sold the property at auction to the highest bidder, George Kalteyer, for $2700. Shortly thereafter he deeded the property to his mother, Henrietta Kalteyer. Mrs. Kalteyer, who was listed as a capitalist in the 1900 census, used it as a rental property.After Henrietta Kalteyer died in 1904, her granddaughter, Minnie Kalteyer Cook inherited the house and lived there with her first husband, F.W. and later, her second husband, F.C. Cool. In 1917, the lot to the north, was purchased and the house on it (218 King William) demolished. The one story wing of the house now occupying that lot was built sometime after 1924. In 1925 Mrs. Cool sold the house to J.M. Watson, who sold it to the Texas Chiropractic College.Dr. Peter and Mary Keating bought the property in October, 1926 and remodeled the house to its present appearance. Mary Keating painted several murals in San Antonio and exhibited paintings at The Witte and the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair. Mr. and Mrs. James H. Walsh bought the house in 1955, and then Philip and Mary Schug in 1963. Mary was very active in the early King William Association, chairing the first KWA fair in 1967. The Association netted $35.55 that first year. James and Jennifer Bailey purchased the house in 2008 and began a major renovation, which was completed by George and Heather Schroeder after they bought the house in 2014.

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221 King William

Josephine Sullivan built this house between September 1921, when she purchased the lot from the next door neighbors Terrell and Elizabeth Bartlett, and 1924 when the city directory shows her living here. She sold the property in 1928 to Frederick F. Niggli, who at one point was president of the Westland Security Co., and his wife, Gloria (Goldie) Morgan Niggli. Their daughter, Josephina Maria Niggli, became a popular playwright and novelist in the 1940s and 1950s. Her novel Mexican Village (1945) was the basis for the 1953 movie Sombrero. The house remained in the family until 1957 when Goldie, who was described as a professional violist, sold the property to Jesus Cabrera and Dora Guerra. The current owners, Flora and Carlos Flores, purchased the house in 2011.

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217 King William

This gem of a house was built around 1882 for Alexander Sartor, who came to San Antonio from Germany. He was a popular watch repairman and had one of the first jewelry stores in the city. Mr. Sartor, three times married, lived in this house with his family until 1909, shortly after he retired from business. He died in 1915. The original architect for the house was Alfred Giles, the most popular in San Antonio at that time. Though many of the homes in this area have highly decorative porches, this one is unique in its details, which are worth noting. Samuel Shipman Evans and his wife, Haskie, purchased the property from Alex and Caroline Sartor in February 1909 and sold it to Robert H. Krause in August of that same year. In 1913, after Robert died, his widow, Charlotte, sold to Terrell and Elizabeth Bartlett. In 1948, Goldie Niggli (221 King William) bought the property and ten years later sold to F.G. and Katheryn Antonio.From the 1950s the house belonged to the Tobin Foundation and was used by the Family Welfare Association, and later as a guest house for HemisFair visitors. In 1973, Julia Cauthorn purchased the property and accomplished a complete restoration. Mrs Cauthorne is said to have sold old jewelry and gold coins to buy the house. She added the ornate antique iron fence, a gift from her son-in-law, in the late 1970s. Other owners were Egon Tausche in 1994 and Rodolfo Choperena in 2001.

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210 King William

When Nellie, daughter of Louis and Josephine Bergstrom, married Dr. Stonewall Van Wie, a dentist, in 1909, her parents built this cottage for them on a part of the family property. The lot they owned was not quite large enough, but Minnie Cook (222 King William) sold them five feet of her lot next door, which gave them the room to build this small house.The contract the Bergstroms signed with O.A. Balcom required him to “buy all material such as Lumber, Doors, Sash, Blinds…from Ed. Steves & Sons at current prices.” The Van Wies lived in this cottage until about 1915, when they built a new house for themselves.In 1920, Josephine Bergman sold the cottage to J.C. and F.D. Stout. The house was a rental until Frederick W. and Anna Benjamin bought the house in 1942. Mr. Benjamin was born in Newcastle, England and immigrated to the United States on the SS Lusitania in 1913. The Benjamins lived here until 1968 when they sold to Margaret Batts Tobin. Sara Reid Massey, a recognized Texas historian and author, lived here from 1996 to 2003. The current owner is Raymond H. Becerril.

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208 King William

Louis Bergstrom, whose parents came to Texas from Stockholm, Sweden, bought lots 3 and 4 from Malvina Nelson in May of 1882 for $1000. In June of that same year, he and his wife, Josephine, wrote a contract with the San Antonio Real Estate Building and Loan Association to construct a house designed by architect William K. Dobson. The builder used a limestone rubble method to construct a one-story cottage at a cost of $1200. Mr. Bergstrom was a dealer in hides, wool and cotton and had his place of business on Military Plaza. In 1900 his success as a businessman allowed him to remodel the house adding a brick second story and covering the walls with stucco to unify the design. This was the home of the same family until 1974 when the daughters who lived there last, Mrs. Adolph Groos and Mrs. Arthur Kliefoth, died. Gerald and Chris Goldstein, who bought the property in 1975, replaced the termite-eaten, original porch using a design by Fred Williams and Ellen Berky from the architectural firm of Ford, Powell and Carson.

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203 King William

Aaron Pancoast, Sr. came from Philadelphia in 1853 and settled on a farm near Selma, Texas, but moved to San Antonio a short time later. His first home was on W. Commerce Street near St. Mary’s Street. In 1863 he purchased lots 11, 12 and 13 on King William Street at the corner of Turner Street from Felix Elder for $1200. Later he bought the lots to the west of these on Turner and Washington Streets. In April, 1866, lot 13 was deeded to his second wife Mary Test, and the cottage numbered 207 King William at the west corner of the lot was built. What is left of it is a green building now used as an apartment. Mr. Pancoast was married twice and had ten children, four with his first wife, Mary Evans Pancoast, and six with his second wife, Mary Test Pancoast. Josiah E. Pancoast, son of his first marriage, was associated with his father in a prosperous tailoring business at 136-138 W. Commerce Street, known as Aaron Pancoast & Son. (See 404 King William.) In 1891 the large house nearer the street corner was built. About 1894 Mr. Pancoast died, leaving the property to his second family. Two of his daughters, Hallie and Celia, conducted an elementary school in the original home at the back of the property. Their pupils were children of the neighborhood including: Joske, Steves, Clarkson, Giesecke, Swearingen, Winerich, Halff, and the teachers’ nieces, Elsie, Mary and Edith Pancoast. In December of 1920, the Pancoasts sold their home to Mr. Bartolo Martinez, owner and founder of the Tamilina Milling Company, the first commercial corn milling operation in the United States. The lower level of the house was severely damaged in the flood of 10 September 1921, and during the repair process the outside appearance of the first two floors was significantly altered. The roof, chimneys, pilasters and roof cornices of the 1891 house were retained. Mr. Martinez died of pneumonia in 1924 and his widow, Carmen Garza de Martinez, lived here until her death in 1946. Their daughter, Mrs. Alicia Calderon, and her family lived here until they sold the property to Michael and Margaret Wiederhold in 1980.

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202 King William

Malvina Nelson (née Elder) probably inherited these lots from her sister Catherine Elder, wife of Newton Mitchell (209 Washington). Catherine had purchased 16 acres of land in the area in 1853 from her brother-in-law, Thomas Devine, whose wife was another sister, Helen Elder. Malvina built her home here sometime before 1873. It is shown on Koch’s pictorial map as a one-story structure. In 1883 the property was sold to Francisco Ruiz, who was in turn a sanitary policeman, ditch commissioner, mission merchant, and a loan agent. Sometime after 1886 a second story was added to the house. The Ruiz family lived here until 1903, when it was sold to D. J. Woodward, owner of the Woodward Carriage Company. He added front porches to the building. From 1907 there were other owners and renters. Later it became the property of Miss Lady Brady. After her death, the house was sold at public auction on the premises on a Sunday afternoon in October, 1971, as were her properties at 404 and 410 King William. Mr. and Mrs. Carlos Gonzales purchased the property at that time and lived in this home many years. In 2015 Juan Fernandez and Regina Moya purchased the house, renovated it, and returned the porches to their former grandeur.

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138 King William

After Thomas Henry Flannery married Josephine Oge in October of 1904, and while they were living at 226 Madison, his mother-in-law, Elizabeth Oge, bought these lots from the estate of Mrs. P. H. Grosenbeck for $2000. Elizabeth and her husband, Louis (209 Washington), built a house and sold it to the young couple for $6300 in October of 1909. The Flannery family, including son John O. Flannery Sr., lived here until about 1926. From 1929 to 1932 the French Café of Henry Maillard did business here. Mrs. Ida Grote lived here a dozen years or so. The house changed hands several times until 1972, when it was purchased by Mr. and Mrs. Joe Mendiola. The current owners, Manuel and Hope Rico, bought the property in 1988.

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130 King William

This was originally the carriage house for Dr. Alfred McDaniel’s home at 117 Madison Street. In 1926, it was converted into a duplex, where the doctor and his second wife, Loma Lee, lived until 1931. His son, Gibbs, lived with them and, in 1929, successfully petitioned the court to change the spelling of his name to MacDaniel. Gibbs, his wife, Virginia, and their family lived here until 1949 when the house was sold, remodeled, and used as a chiropractic office by Dr. George J. Loftin. In 1970, Charles and Kaye Scheer were given the property by her father and they transformed the onetime carriage house into its current configuration. The bay window is a Queen Anne with colored border glass, the front door has etched glass, and the other two doors have Florentine glass. The glass and the hardware for the doors and windows were obtained from 1890s properties. Half of the porch banisters are the original ones obtained from an 1897 house, and the rest are reproductions. All the Victorian details were added by the Scheers. The house currently serves as the home of the San Antonio Art League.

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122 King William

Gus Kray, a jeweler, and his wife, Mamie, built this two-story house around 1912. It was their home until 1921 when they sold it to the F.V. Alters. Mr. Alter was the proprietor of Alter’s Drug Store at the corner of South Alamo and South St. Mary’s Streets. His business was one of the first located in the building that now houses Rosario’s Restaurant. F.V. and Cora Alter lived here until 1978 when their family sold the home to John and Robbye Hogg. They sold the property to John C. and Larisa Hughes in 2004, and the home is currently owned by Frank Enrequez.

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120 King William

In 1868 two brothers, Joseph and John Ball, who were stone masons, came from Elmendorf, Texas to San Antonio and bought these two lots for $650. They built two matching houses, and the story goes that their respective wives had a falling out, so John’s house at 120 was built without windows on the northeast side. It remained that way until the 1940s, when the Henry Steinbomers lived there.John Ball and his wife, Catherine, lived at 120 King William until around 1924. Their son Joseph sold the property to the F.V. Alters, and in 1944 Roy and Alma Yates bought it. Mrs. Yates sold the house to Marshall Steves about 1971. It was later sold to Kenneth Caswell and finally to Rusty and Madeline Guyer, the current owners.

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116 King William

In 1868 two brothers, Joseph and John Ball, who were stone masons, came from Elmendorf, Texas to San Antonio and bought these two lots for $650. They built two matching houses, and the story goes that their respective wives had a falling out, so John’s house at 120 was built without windows on the northeast side. It remained that way until the 1940s, when the Henry Steinbomers lived there.Joseph Ball is listed as living at 116 until about 1895. He and his wife, Sallie, sold this property to Mrs. Marie Conlon in 1898. She made additions to it, thus destroying its resemblance to the house at 120. Around 1928 Mrs. Nellie Neill became the owner, and later it belonged to her daughter-in-law, Mrs. Joe Neill. In 1973 she sold the place to Miss Margaret Gething. It now belongs to the Perry Gething Foundation

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112 King William

While Mrs. Marie Conlon was living next door at 116 King William, she signed a contract with Dominick Lieber, a carpenter living at 416 South Presa Street, dated February 12, 1904. It required Mr. Lieber to build a house in accordance with plans drawn by architect Robert L. Pierce. Upon completion she was to pay him $3650. The house was rented and for many years was numbered 114 King William. The city directory lists it as 112 King William for the first time in 1921.Amanda and Arsenne Blondin lived here from 1948 until 1989, when it was purchased by Sydney Frances and his wife, Janet. The Blondin family lived in a much older home at 108 King William built by their grandfather Dr. Alfred H. Blondin, a local dentist. That house was demolished and replaced by commercial buildings which now house The Station restaurant and other businesses. Albert L. Blondin, their father, purchased this property in 1936.The house is currently owned by Nadine and James Johnson.

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107 King William

At the entrance of King William Street from St. Mary’s Street sits a unique house with a square tower. It was built about 1870 by Anton Wulff, a German national, who came to San Antonio from New Braunfels in 1850.In San Antonio, Anton Wulff became a commission merchant, doing business on Military Plaza. In 1891 he was alderman at large for the city. Mayor James French (1875-1885) appointed Mr. Wulff first park commissioner because of the great interest he had shown in landscaping the city’s plazas. It was he who laid out Alamo Plaza. Mr. Wulff died in 1894.In 1902 the house was purchased by Arthur William Guenther for $7000. Arthur was one of the “sons” in CH Guenther & Sons but had decided to break away from the family to start the competing Liberty Mill with his neighbor, Gustav Giesecke (218 Washington). In 1953 the Guenther heirs sold the house for $20,000 to F. G. and Katheryn Antonio to be converted to apartments. They sold the property to Roy Akers; possibly there were plans for a funeral home but that never happened. In November of 1964, the home was purchased by the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners for use as the headquarters of Local Union No. 14. In 1974, the San Antonio Conservation Society purchased the property to use as a headquarters and hired O’Neil Ford and Associates to oversee the yearlong restoration effort. The building still serves as the Conservation Society’s headquarters.

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131 King William

On February 25, 1901, people asked the City Council to make a park on King William Street. The Council said yes on June 3, 1901, and suggested buying the triangular lot at King William, Turner, and Washington Streets for $4,208.50 from Mrs. P.H. Groesbeck. The Council named it "King William Place," and the City Engineer put that on the maps.A few months later, the Council okayed spending money to fix up the area and put water pipes in the park. Landscaping likely happened next, but we don't know the details. In 1917, an article in the San Antonio Express called it "King William Park." In old pictures around 1920, the park looked a bit landscaped, and later, trees were planted around the edges.The park's gazebo was once in the United States Arsenal grounds near the Commander’s House. In 1954, the King William Area Conservation Association moved it to the park. They fixed it up in 1987.

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111 Washington

The only house left in this block of Washington Street is the cottage numbered 111 that was built around 1912. It was the home of Mary Blanche and G. Beall Vernor, Judge Henry Vernor’s (122 Washington) oldest son. The Vernors lived there until about 1923 when they moved to Dimmit County. In 1951 we find Mary Blanche Vernor, widow, back at this address, where she stayed until her death. Mrs. Vernor’s heirs sold the property to St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Benevolent Association in 1970. At the same time St. Joseph’s, as it is affectionately known in the neighborhood, moved to its current headquarters at 420 East Durango. During its formative years in the 1880s, the organization met in the St. Josepth’s rectory downtown on Commerce Street and later across the street at 314 East Commerce, which was lost to HemisFair construction in the 1960s.

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122 Washington

Prior to the 1930s the San Antonio River ran farther east than its present crossing on Cesar E. Chavez Street (formerly Durango Street), and made a loop behind the Wulff home and the houses in the 100 block of Washington Street. Pancoast Street was non-existent. Judge Henry Vernor owned a large house at 115 Washington Street, which had a basement with a swimming pool in it. The judge lived here with his children and later his grandchildren, George T. Vernor and Mary Vernor. Mary managed apartments in the house for a time. The Texas Lodge #8, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, purchased the property in 1947 and constructed their new lodge here. According to notes on the 1951 Sanborn Map of San Antonio, the lodge was built in 1950. The “glass block” windows lend credence to that date.

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102 Turner

A construction time of two months is unimaginable today, but when E.M. Barnes and M.H. Davidson agreed to build this house on July 2, 1896, they also agreed on a completion date of September 3, 1896. Aaron Jr. (Son of Aaron Sr. and Mary Test Pancoast, 203 King William) and his wife Mary Sopher Pancoast agreed to pay $2300 for the construction of this two-story frame house. The contract required the builders follow “certain plans and speculations of even date herewith proposed by Albert F. Beckmann, Architect.” Although the material choice was unusual for a Beckmann house (he most often used brick) his design style is unmistakable in the original pictures of the house. By 1915, the Pancoasts had made some modifications to the house, and, at a later date, they enlarged it and added stucco.Mr. Pancoast attended Swarthmore College, where he was Recording Secretary for the Eunomian Literary Society and vice-president of the senior class. He became a civil engineer, but after his father died in 1894, he and his brothers, Josiah and William, formed Aaron Pancoast’s Sons, described in the city directory as “clothing, merchant tailors.” About 1906, the business dissolved and Aaron Jr. returned to his career as a civil engineer. After he died in 1953 and his wife in 1964, the house became the property of their grandson, Charles H. Noble Jr., who, after a short residence, sold the property to Theodore McAlister in 1966. O.T. and Gene Lodal bought the house in 1972, and in 1976, sold it to Dr. and Mrs. Arturo Marroquin. Mr. Noble repurchased the property in 1980, and it is currently owned by his son, Donald P. Noble.

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209 Washington

This stately mansion did not always look as it does today, nor was Louis Oge (O-zhay) its first owner. It began as a one-story house with a basement built around 1857 by Newton A. Mitchell. That same year he married Catherine Elder, sister of Malvina Nelson (See 202 King William). It was probably their first home. From 1862 there were other owners. The pictorial map for 1873 shows it as a one story structure. Louis Oge came to Texas in 1845 with Henri Castro, who, with his colony of Alsatians, founded the town of Castroville. Among other things, Mr. Oge became a rancher. In 1881 he purchased this house and had it remodeled by Alfred Giles into its present Neoclassical style. After he died in 1915, his widow, Elizabeth, lived in the house until about 1942. In 1948, Mrs.Clare Schuhardt rented rooms here, and by 1954, the house was listed as the Steward Apartments. Over time, it was owned by Marshall Steves, Lowry L. Mays, and then, Walter Mathis. In the 1990s, it became the Oge House Bed and Breakfast and is now owned by Donald P. Noble.

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213 Washington

Originally owned by Thomas J. Devine, this land was transferred to his wife’s sister, Catherine Elder, in 1853, before she married Newton Mitchell. Mitchell subdivided the land and sold these lots to Gustave Blersch in January of 1860. He built this two story house soon after, making it one of the oldest houses in the area. It was designed by Gustave Freislben and built by Hermann Kampmann. James Thornton, a banker and exchange dealer with Thornton and Lockwood, bought it in 1871 and added the two-story rear wing and bay window. After he sold to Craven and Julia Woodward in 1883, a number of other owners followed: James Fleming 1890-1895; Mrs. James McLeary 1895-1900; and the Robert Burnett family, who made this their home from 1901 to 1903. From about 1904 until 1948, William B. and Alice Clarkson and later their daughter, Mrs. Florence Groos, and her children, lived here, enclosed the porches and added a sleeping porch. William and Elsa Watson bought the property in 1948. Elsa grew up in her great-grandparents home at 335 King William. The Watsons’ daughter and her husband, Ann Maria Watson and Fred Pfeiffer, continue to live here. Maria is a well-known San Antonio historian and Fred for many years was General Manager of the San Antonio River Authority.

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218 Washington

Gustav Giesecke bought the north portion of this property from his future father-in-law, Gustave Groos (231 Washington) in December 1888, probably in preparation for his marriage to Anna Francisca Groos in February of 1889. The Victorian frame house they built was their home until it was demolished in 1915 or 1916. In 1914, Gustav purchased two additional lots from his mother-in-law where he and Anna built this red brick house. The house was completed sometime before the end of 1916. The architects Augustus A. Herff and Fred S. Jones of Augustus A. Herff Company designed the house with significant input from Mr. Giesecke. Gus served as secretary for the Guenther Mills and later, with Arthur Guenther, founded the Liberty Mills. After the widowed Anna died in 1950, Walter and Eleanor Toxey bought the house and lived there with their son, Walter Toxey Jr., and daughter, Eleanor. As an assistant Bexar County District Attorney and Army Reserve Judge Advocate General officer, Walter Toxey Jr. was instrumental in having the gazebo in King William Park moved there from the Arsenal grounds. A school teacher for 40 years, Miss Eleanor Toxey lived in the house for many years, and it is currently inhabited by her niece, Dr. Anne Parmly Toxey, author and architectural historian, and Patrick McMillan, a designer specialized in interpretive museum exhibits. Because only two families have lived in this house and both families cared deeply about maintaining and retaining the layout, detailing, and fixtures, it remains largely intact. Original features include beautiful flooring, woodwork, leaded glass, lighting and plumbing fixtures, and ornate radiators that operate from the original cast iron coal furnace (now converted to natural gas) in the basement.

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231 Washington

This stone house with its ornate exterior was the first Groos home to be built in this area. It was erected around 1875 by Gustav Groos, who was associated in business with his brothers Carl and Friedrich (See 335 King William). It appears to have been built in two stages, but by 1896, it looked much as it does today. The original fence which stood until the 1990s looked very much like the one in front of the Steves Homestead at 509 King William. The property remained in the same family until after the death of Gus Groos, son of the builder, in 1979. Agnes Bain purchased the home in 1989 and lived there for several years, then sold the property to Fernando and Beverly Avila. Christopher Hill purchased the property in 2013.

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233 Washington

Before moving to this house, the entire Barbeck family, including daughter Pauline’s husband F.E. Beatty and their children, lived next door in a house built by Thomas Stribling. This much older home (numbered 247 Washington) no longer exists. Hermann and Pauline Biesenbach Barbeck purchased that house and this lot in 1882. The house here appears to have been built as a rental after Hermann died in 1905. It first appears in the 1907 city directory as a rental and is on the 1924 Sanborn map. Daughters Bertha and Pauline and their families, including Bertha’s new husband, S.P. Bennett, moved to 233 Washington in 1922. The Bennetts lived elsewhere for a short time but after S.P. died in 1927, Bertha moved back in. She and Mrs. Beatty lived out their lives together in this home. After Mrs. Beatty’s death in 1959, the house was sold to Henry and Diane Beltran. Substantially modified in the late 1940s or early 1950s, the outside looks nothing like the original structure.

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228 Washington

Martin Froebel, a wheelwright, probably built this caliche block house in 1866, soon after he purchased the lot that comprises the north half of the present property from Erhard Pentenrieber. In 1865 he bought the two lots to the south of it from Thomas Stribling. After Martin died in February 1879, his wife, Anna, continued living here and every Sunday afternoon for many years she would go by 120 King William for her friend, Mrs. John Ball, and the two of them would walk to St. Joseph’s Catholic Church on East Commerce to attend Vesper service. It was said they did this with such regularity that the neighbors could almost set their clocks by noticing when the ladies passed. The 1880 census lists Anna at this house with her children—August, Emil, Gustave, Matilda, Olga, Herman and Dina (Christina). Anna Froebel died in 1930 and Christina lived here until 1935 Frank and Ruth Rahmstorf purchased this property in 1953 and sold it to Arthur Veltman in 1971. He began restoration and in 1973 sold it to Susan Monday and Jay Monday. Janie Barrera purchased the house in 2005.

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232 Washington

In 1865, when Martin Froebel bought this lot and the one north of it where 228 sits, there was a small cottage (erected circa 1860) in which Fritz and Katherine Pape were living. Possibly Mr. Froebel’s family lived in that cottage until their home was built. By 1896, the cottage was no longer here. Olga Froebel Umscheid purchased this lot from her mother, Anna Froebel, in 1904 and with her first husband, John, contracted with Beitel Lumber for the material to build this house, at the time numbered 242 Washington. Olga lived here with her children and later with her second husband, John Payne, a dentist; until they sold the house to Edward and Ella Rogers. The Rogers stayed here for a number of years but by 1929 had converted it into apartments. When Ella died in 1963, Lucille Dins inherited it and later sold it to Jesse Gomez. Between 1972 and 1997 the house was the subject of a protracted legal battle and totally neglected. Donald Pancoast Noble obtained a clear title and sold it to John “Jack” W. Pancoast, Jr. who immediately began the process of rescuing it from the vines, the rain, the mildew, the wood rot, and the bamboo. He succeeded in transforming this “unsalvageable” property into a lovely home. Jack’s widow, Anne Alexander, still resides here.

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250 Washington

Fritz Gorrfried Guenther, eldest son of Carl Hilmar Guenther, founder of the Guenther Mills, lived at this address in a stone cottage as far back as 1883. He was made head of the mill when his father decided to retire, but did not live long to occupy the position, since he died in 1897. His wife, Helena, daughter of Barbara Peltzer (see 221 Madison), continued to live in the cottage until 1908, when she built this two-story house. This was her home until about 1922. After 1922 the house had other owners and renters, and the Policastros, Vincent and Theresa, bought it in August of 1943. They altered the front of the building and made it into apartments. Jack McGregor, who bought the house in 1976, was a director of the Witte Museum and instrumental in the founding of the San Antonio Museum of Art. Alain Tessier, owner of Chamade Jewelers, acquired the property in 1983 and sold it to Michael and Shandelle Gridley in 2007. The current residents, Stacy Hill and Erick Schlather, completed a major renovation designed by San Antonio architect Jim Poteet in 2011.

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104 Beauregard

This house was first listed in the city directory as 102 Beauregard in 1908. C.F.A. Hummel, who built the house at 309 King William, lived here from 1912 to 1920. In 1920 he moved back to the King William Street address and this house became a duplex numbered 102 and 104 Beauregard. After Mr. Hummel died in 1935, the property was sold to Vinton James (303 King William). For a while during the late 1940s and early 1950s one of the tenants used 304 Washington as his address and the other used 104 Beauregard. It was rented as a duplex until purchased in 1975 by James and Maggie Egan. They purchased the house from Theodore and Laura James, the two children of Vinton James and his second wife, Marie Louise. Mrs. Egan lived here until her death, with Marlo Montoya purchasing the house in 2000.

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247 Washington

Upper Mill Park's history is tied to the Pioneer Flour Mills, which was founded by Carl H. Guenther. The original "Upper Mill" was built upstream from the main mill in 1868 and was a successful part of the business until it was torn down in 1926 to widen the San Antonio River. Today, the site is known as Upper Mill Park and features the ruins of the original mill foundation.

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308 Washington

The earliest record of this house is a listing in the 1948 city directory, which shows Emile A. and Ella Robin, Maria Wurzbach’s (309 King William) daughter and son-in-law, in residence. Mrs. Wurzbach sold the property to William Friedrich Morrison in 1954. Mrs. Dunn purchased the property in 1974 and added the front porch and shutters. It has belonged to many people over the years and is currently owned by John Doski and Deborah Mueller (309 King William).

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322 Washington

For the first fifty years of its existence this house sat at the corner of East Elmira and Lexington, where James and Grace Morian originally built it in 1901. Rosa and Moses Haas lived there until 1914, then Zulema and Ferdinand Herff Jr. until 1927. Until 1951 the house had many uses: Zilmon J. Booth’s Realty; J.R Watkins Food Products Company, a restaurant and night club, all did business there. The city purchased the property to clear a route for the Pan American Expressway and the house was sold to Domingo Ramirez, who moved it to its present location shorty after November 1951. Humberto and Elvira Ramirez bought it in 1965 and she lived there until 2006. The house has been remodeled, changed and added to a number of times. Patrick Condon purchased it in 2011.

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326 Washington

This beautiful limestone block house was designed by Heather H. McKinney, FAIA, and was constructed during 1998 and completed in January 1999. An addition and remodel, again designed by Heather H. McKinney, was accomplished in 2005/2006. The contractor responsible for the remodel was McCraken Construction.

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410 East Arsenal

This small lot has been used for many purposes over the years, including a stable for the house at 400 Arsenal, a two-story duplex, and a garage. In 1989 the home that now occupies this lot was designed by Lake-Flato Architects, Inc. for Penelope S. Gallagher and built by Timbercon Construction, Inc. It is featured in San Antonio Architecture: Traditions and Visions, published by AIA San Antonio. Jerry Gore bought the property in 2005 and it is currently owned by John Schmolesky and Louise Cantwell (2013).

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400 East Arsenal

Charles K. Crawford and his wife, Petrita Flores de Crawford, bought this lot from Kate May in 1893 for $700. The next year they hired Baltazar Torres to build a house with the mortgage loan company of Francis Smith acting as builder-in-name. Cost of construction, in accordance with Torres’ plans and specifications, was $4000. When Petrita died in 1934, the house was bequeathed to the Congregation of Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary per her wishes. The congregation immediately sold the property to P. D. Rodriguez. He sold the property to Camilo and Julia Davila in 1944. Julia Caballero Vda de Escamilla bought the property in 1945 and, as early as 1948, operated a small grocery store in the lower back wing of the house. Most weekends saw Navy Reservists lined up for sandwiches and soda and as late as 1990 the screen door, a commercial advertising one typical of those on small stores in the 1940s and 50s, remained. Ethlyn Albers purchased the house in 1979, John P. and Terry M. Behal in 1999. Rene D. Ruiz purchased it in 2004 and has returned it to a single family dwelling.

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103 City

Rudolph W. and Adele Sartor Staacke were first cousins. Rudolph’s mother, Emma Sartor Staack, was the sister of Adele’s father, Alexander Sartor (217 King William). The young couple was living with his family at 453 Soledad in 1894 when he purchased these three lots from Kate May for $2500. They built this house, designed by Albert Beckman, about the same time that the Staacke Bros. Building was built on West Commerce. The 1895 city directory shows this as their residence, but after Mr. Staacke died in 1898, Adele stayed here only a short time before taking her two small children and moving back to her husband’s family home and into the family business, as well. She took her husband’s place with his brothers, who were also her cousins, and was one of the owners when Staacke Bros. established the first Cadillac dealership in San Antonio. Mrs. Staacke rented the house for several years then sold it in 1906 to Mrs. Bertha Stumberg, another young widow with five children. Bertha’s husband, Louis D., owned “The One Price Store” in Laredo before his death in 1898. Though Mrs. Stumberg may have used her inheritance to finance the $10,000 purchase price of the house, she ultimately became a “capitalist” as her father, Steve Dauenhauer, called himself in the 1900 census, buying land, building houses, and engaging in other enterprises. She lived here and traveled extensively until her death in 1953. The Daughters of Mary Immaculate bought the property from her children in 1954 and sold it to Carolina Garza in 1959. This house is currently owned by Mrs. Garza’s daughter, Alma Hernandez, who has lived here since the early 1960s.

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108 City

Louisiana native Charles Guerguin came to San Antonio in 1865 and started his work life as a freighter between San Antonio and the Mexican border, eventually becoming the head of the San Pedro Loan company. The San Antonio Light stated at his death, “He was quite wealthy, owning ranches in Mexico and Southwest Texas.” Mr. Guerguin served as county commissioner, an alderman, mayor pro tem and was in city government when the city hall was erected in 1880. He built this house for his son, Leopold, on the two lots he bought from Kate May In 1893 for $3,100. They were large lots and ran all the way to the San Antonio River, which might explain why they were so costly. The city directory shows Leopold living here in 1897. Leopold’s wife, Annie Heusinger, joined him there after their marriage in 1899. Leopold died in 1911. Annie lived here until the late 1940s, and as early as 1918 the house had two apartments listed in the city directory as 106 and 108 City. Members of the Guerguin family owned the property until 1954, when it was sold to Carolina Garza. Mrs. Garza’s family still owns the house.

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110 City

Just like all the other lots on City Street, this one was originally part of the Thomas J. Devine Homestead and was inherited by his daughter Kate May. In 1899, Mrs. A.M. Perry paid $1,000 for it, and in 1901 Charles Guerguin and his wife, Manuela, bought it from her for $1200. Sometime before September of 1918, the Guerguin family built a house on this lot and Dr. Albert Orvan and Edna Hill lived here with their children. Edna was the daughter of Leopold and Anne Guerguin (108 City) and granddaughter of Charles and Manuela. She died of influenza in December, 1918, but Dr. Hill lived here until 1946 when he sold the house to Eugene Castillo. The house may have been built as apartments; at least as early as 1924 it had four apartments, as it does today. In 1948, Mrs. Carolina Sepulveda bought it and lived in one of the downstairs units until the mid-1980s. Mrs. Garza came to the United States with her parents shortly after her birth and became a citizen of the United States. She was a talented woman who played the piano but was widowed with two young children. In order to support her family, she worked in the City Auditing Department, then as a stenographer for a finance company, and later for Treviño Real Estate and Insurance while becoming a successful real estate investor. This house still belongs to members of her family.

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113 City

After purchasing this lot from Kate May in 1895 for $495, Edward and Teodolinda Heusinger contracted with the San Antonio Real Estate Building and Loan Association to construct a dwelling “to be finished within a reasonable time from this date” for $1440. From 1911 until 1919 the house belonged to Edward’s parents, Adolph and Anna Heusinger (see 317 King William). During that time one of the more interesting temporary residents was Emilio Vasquez Gomez. Sometime after August 2, 1911, when he was dismissed from his post as the interior secretary of Mexico, he rented this house. He may have been living here when he was offered the position of provisional president of Mexico in 1912. Annie Guerguin (sister of Edward Heusingerand widow of Leopold Guerguin) became the owner of the house in 1919 and deeded it to her son, Carlos, in 1943. He owned the property until 1949, when he sold it to Carolina S. Garza. The property is still owned by her family.

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117 City

Mary Long bought this lot from Kate May in 1895 for $850 and before 1904, when it is shown on the Sanborn map, built this house. The 1905 city directory shows it for the first time, rented to Mrs. M. Guest. Alfred Long, a bookkeeper for Caffarelli Brothers, wholesale grocers, and his wife, Josie, bought it in 1909. They lived there a short time but by 1915 it was rented to C.A. Rhea, a clerk for William Way (see 219 City) at American Overall Company. Ellenora Lacey purchased the house in 1920 and her step-grandson sold it after 1939. It was owned for a time by W.C. and Lula Speer, but the house was a rental until Miguel and Elvira Sierra bought it in the 1940s. They lived there until they sold it to H.C. Dresch in 1954. It is currently owned by Daniel and Simplicia Ramirez.

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118 City

Kate Gosling purchased this lot in 1902 for $500 and sold it to Leopold and Annie Guerguin for $950 in 1907. Leopold died in 1911 and Annie built this house, probably as a rental. The first time the house appears in the city directory is 1916 (it was listed as 112 City) rented to E.V. Kingston. The next year, G.E. and Maud Coll were living here with their son, W.C., who was a clerk for the Western Union Telephone Co. After the Guerguins built 110 City in 1919, this house was numbered 118. It remained a rental owned by the Guerguin family until Carolina Garza purchased it in 1949. Her daughter and son-in-law, Carrie and Louis Carvajal, lived here and it is now owned by a grandson, Daniel Carvajal.

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121 City

The deed that Fritz and Josephine Schleuning received from August Briam, Jr., in 1897 traces the ownership of this lot back through Kate May to the Thomas Devine Homestead. It is an interesting transaction; Briam bought it in April for $750 and sold it to them in August for $1,950. It is possible that he built a house during that time, because the deed and vendor's lien requires that the Schleunings not demolish any of the structures on the lot. The city directory shows them living at 121 City Street in 1899 and Fritz doing business as a merchandise broker on Alamo Street. As a child, Fritz lived at 226 King William, the home of his parents, Theodore and Bertha Schleuning. Members of the Schleuning family owned 121 City until 1972. Randolph Janssen purchased the property in 1976, and it is now owned by Joel and Laticia Janssen.

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124 City

It is interesting that the city directory shows Mrs. D.G. May living at this address in 1895 and shows her again in 1897 as D.G.'s widow. He did not die in the intervening two years– rather, he and Kate were divorced. She lived in this house until at least 1903, and then moved to Marion County, Kentucky, where she had lived with her first husband, Thomas Jefferson Elder. Her move to Kentucky turned out to be temporary and by 1910 she was back in San Antonio, but she never again lived on the lands of the “Thomas Devine Homestead” where she grew up. Kate borrowed $1,600 against this property in 1906, possibly to help finance her moves, and then sold the house to Grace Crawford 1907 for $3,500. Miss Crawford lived in the area but there is no record of her living at this address. The house was a rental until Leo Oppenheimer bought it in 1911. Perfecto and Antonia Garza began living in this house as renters before 1934 and Helen Waters, who owned it at that time, sold it to them in 1943. Mrs. Garza’s family sold it to Phyllis Hays in 1965, and she sold it to John and Margaret Larcade in 1974. The current owners, Edmund and Jutta Beck, bought the property in 1990.

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125 City

After purchasing this lot from Kate May in 1895 for $850, Elsie Wueste hired the San Antonio Real Estate Building and Loan Association to build a house designed by Albert Beckmann. The cost was to be $2160. In 1900 she sold the house to her daughter-in-law, Belle, for $2000. Leonard and Belle Wueste sold the house to Juan Antonio Chavez in 1910 for $4650. Charles Velte purchased the house from the Chavez family in 1920; his family owned it until 1974 when it was sold to David DeHoyos. Dr. Ariel Hernandez and his wife, Margaret, bought it in 1981 and raised their family there. Dr. Hernandez was a well-loved physician who spent his career serving the urban poor in south San Antonio. He was named physician to Pope John Paul II during the Papal visit to San Antonio in 1987. The current owners, Douglas and Jeanne Robins, bought the house in 2013.

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128 City

Grace Crawford, a trained nurse, bought this lot in 1907 when she purchased 124 City Street. She was the daughter of John C. Crawford, the sheriff of Bexar county from 1850 to 1853, and his wife Josefa. A brother, Charles K. Crawford, built 400 Arsenal. This house is shown on the 1911 Sanborn Map (listed as 126 City) and is in the city directory after 1910. Miss Crawford probably built it as a rental about then. During the 1920s, Rudolph Wiesberger, an agent for the American National Insurance Company, lived here with his wife, Esther. The house remained a rental after Grace died in 1920 and her sister Mary O. Crawford inherited it. Mary died in 1941 and Frank W. Wick purchased it from her heirs. Maria Gutierrez, who had been living here with her family since before 1935, purchased the property from him in 1943, Ignacio, her son, sold it in 2006 to Maximo and Consuelo Martinez.

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130 City

A conductor’s salary on the M-K-T Railroad provided enough income for Albert W. and Jeff Harris to contemplate an investment in rental property, and the ideal place to invest was the lot they owned next to their home at 132 City. In 1924 they wrote a contract with Frost Carvel and Robert Bethea to build this house for $3640. Carvel and Company, housed in the Frost National Bank Building, advertised themselves as “Builders of Homes.” N.R. Dawson was the first renter in 1926 and the house served the Harrises as rental property until Euin Tull bought it in 1945. He lived here until about the time he sold to Carolina Garza in 1970. It is currently the home of Mrs. Garza’s grandson and his wife, Daniel and Diana Carvajal.

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131 City

C.A. Gessler and J.L. Reinbold, carpenters, signed a contract with Saville J. Bodger in November of 1901. They were to build “a one story frame cottage” that was numbered 127 City Street. Mr. Bodger is shown living here in the 1903 directory but he had probably moved by then, if indeed he ever moved into the house, as by December of 1902, Josephine and C.E.R. King, Jr. owned it. Albert Meyer, a stockman, bought it in 1912 and by 1916 the house number was 131. After Mr. Meyer’s death, the property was sold to Juan and Rachel Lopez in 1955. They sold it to Pedro Barcia Aranda and Maria M. Garcia in 1957. Carmen Garcia Cedillo and her family owned the property for a number of years. Scott Stallbaum and Meghann Peace bought it and began a renovation in 2016.

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132 City

At the time C.H Dean purchased this lot and the one that houses 130 City from Albert Devine in 1896, he was living behind his saddlery shop at 214 South Flores. By 1897 he had constructed this house, which the 1904 Sanborn map shows as a two-story structure, and moved his business to 228 South Flores Street. He and his wife, Beulah, lived here until 1909 when they and their two children moved to 331 South Flores, home of Beulah’s mother. In 1921 Harry Landa sold the house and extra lot to Albert W. and Jeff Harris for $6000. The Harrises made significant improvements in 1930 and sold the property to Oris and Myrtle Berry in 1945. Phillip and Margaret Lopez bought the house in 1956. It is currently owned by Raymond Garcia, who bought it in 1997.

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324 Sheridan

This small house (about 900 square feet) was built in 2005 using a design that Stephen Colley, the architect, based on the principles of Christopher Alexander from his book, A Pattern Language (1977). It is built around the connection between indoor and outdoor rooms with a large interior courtyard and a smaller second courtyard. In a nod to the function and orientation of older houses it was designed to be comfortable without air conditioning by placing windows and doors to provide effective natural ventilation. The central courtyard is oriented in a way that it accelerates our reliable breeze from the southeast. A third workshop and storage building faces the central courtyard from the southwest. Landscape architect Elizabeth McGreevy’s garden design consists mostly of native plants from south and central Texas. There is no lawn and no sprinkler system. It is owned by Gary D. Woods, the builder.

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204 City

Albert E. Devine inherited this lot from his father, Thomas J. Devine, in 1895. Minnie Morrison and J. F. Lockwood bought it along with a number of other lots in June of 1900. They sold it to John and Annie Kemp in September of 1901 for $1600. The Kemps built a one-story house and were living there by 1905. May Woodward bought the place with her separate funds in 1910 and sold it to J.C. Hyburter in December 1911. When Morris Jaffe purchased it in 1912, the San Antonio Light reported that he planned to add a second story to the house. It seems he did not do this. John Schultz purchased the house in 1914; he and his wife, Adalina, sold the property to Ava Fallon and Ora Finley. According to the Light, “Mrs. R.E. Finley and five other occupants of her home were forced to turn firemen to save the residence from destruction by flames” by forming a “bucket brigade from the kitchen to the living room” (San Antonio Light, 4-18-1933, p.8).Adolph and Sara Hernandez bought the property in 1945 and sold it to Tomas Romo Castillo in 1947. When his widow, Florinda G. Romo died, the property was inherited by their daughter, Hilda Romo Arevalos. Mrs. Arevolos’ granddaughter, Jessica R. Medellin, now owns the home.

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209 City

This house was built by Thomas Philips, probably in 1899. Mr. L.B. Lamb rented it for a number of years beginning about 1901. The Philips lived here for a short time then, again, rented to others. Their son, Ford Phillips, lived here in the 1920s. In the late 1920s, Arthur Swanson, a car inspector for the Missouri Pacific Lines, was a tenant. H.P. Pine bought the property in 1937. After Camilo and Santos Treviño purchased the house in 1944, they added two rooms to the rear in the lean-to style common in this area. Jesus Guerrero bought it in 1965 and sold it to Richard Garza. The property is now owned by Richard Garza, Jr.

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212 City

In 1893, Dr. Julius Lucien Alexander Braunnagel purchased this property from the estate of Thomas J. Devine and hired Albert Beckman to design his new home. In 1894, when construction was complete, he left his house on South Laredo and his wife of fifteen years, Mary Blanche, and moved into 212 City. Ten months after his divorce was finalized, Braunnagel married Margaret C. Hagans. The house survived a lightning strike early in its existence which “knocked a hole from the roof to the floor” (San Antonio Light, May 8, 1900). On January 10, 1908, the Braunnagels acquired a permit for a kitchen addition, valued at $350; the stair step addition can still be seen at the rear of the house.Braunnagel held the title of city physician from 1883 to 1892 and founded the Santa Rosa Hospital Training School for nurses. After his death from tuberculosis in 1926, Margaret called 212 City home until her death in 1948. Carolina Garza acquired the property and sold it to the Nat M. Washer Lodge in 1950.

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215 City

Shortly after purchasing this lot in 1902, Richard and Lizzie Kittler signed a contract with Conrad Flaig to build “a one story frame cottage of five rooms with hall, pantry, bathroom, front and rear gallery.” Flaig, a contractor who lived on Barrera Street, agreed to do the work for $1360 “in gold.” The work appears to have been satisfactory as the Kittlers were living here in 1903. After a relatively short stay, they sold the house to Louis Racusin in 1910 and it was a rental for many years. Jesus and Juana Guerrero bought the house in 1947 and members of their family, Mercedes and Lorenzo Barrientes, still own it.

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218 City

Thomas J. Devine sold this lot to Luman L.Goodrich 1891 for $1370. The Goodrich family sold it to P.J. Owens in 1908. Owens, who was the president and manager of P.J. Owens Lumber Company, built the house, lived in it for a year or so, first alone and then with a new wife, Mosella. By 1911 they were living behind the family business at 705 South Flores, having sold the house in 1910 to C. S. Fowler for $3500. Mr. Fowler made a quick profit by selling to H.B and A.L. Smith 1912 for $5000. Mr. W.E. Knight, who at one time was a detective for the San Antonio Police, and his wife, Ethel, bought the house in 1916 and by 1926 they had partitioned part of it to form an apartment. There were a series of owners afterwards who appear to have bought the house for investment purposes: Fred and Janie Nicholson in 1939, Belinda Umburn in 1942, and Margaret Gomez in 1945. By 1945 it was a four-plex. Richard Garza, who purchased the property in 1966, is a neighborhood historian and longtime advocate for the reservation of the area. He is a charter member of the King William Association and was a leader in the effort to retain open space and establish appropriate uses for the west side of the eight and nine hundred blocks of Main Street in the 1980s. The house is still owned by his family.

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219 City

In 1896 A.E. Devine pledged this lot to cover some of his debts. When he was unable to meet the payment deadline, the trustee sold it to William T. Way for $675. Mr. Way, a bookkeeper for T.H. Zanderson, came to the United States from South Brent, Sommerset, England, sometime after 1871. By 1899 he had constructed a house and was living here with his wife, Agnes Mary, his father, and eight children, including two sets of twins. The 1910 city directory states he was a manager for the San Antonio Investment Company. William died from tuberculosis in 1919 but Agnes continued living in the home until her death in 1944. The property was sold to Luis Cardenas. Maria Alicia Castaneda bought it in 1962, Barbara Holmes in 1992, Josephine Terrell in 2003, and Jerry Gore in 2010.

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221 City

This house was probably constructed soon after 1924 while Lizzie Singer owned the lot. A small two-story dwelling is located here on the 1904 Sanborn map, and labeled 220 City. The city directory has a listing for a vacant house at 225 City in 1915 and 1916. Fred and Martha Klausenburg are shown as renters at 225 from 1917 until 1921. Beginning in 1921, the address is shown as 221 City. Lizzie’s son, Norman W. Singer, lived here for a time in the 1940s. After Lizzie died in 1942, the estate sold the property. Felix, a dealer in produce, and Santos Garcia paid $2000 for it in 1944. It was their home until they sold it to Domingo and Anita Alvarez in 1952. It now belongs to their son, Jesse Alvarez.

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222 City

Luman L. Goodrich, Captain of the Merchant Police, bought the lots that are now 222 City, 226 City and 103 West Johnson from R.M. and F.A. Thompson for $200 cash and two promissory notes due in one and two years respectively. He sold this vacant lot to Ed. B. Hudson in 1913. It was likely still a vacant lot when Hazel Elnora Reagan bought it in 1945 for $1200 and, according to oral history; she hired two young men from New Mexico to build the house. They formed the concrete blocks used in the construction on site. The blocks themselves offer very strong evidence that they were hand formed, consistency and strength varying greatly among them, indicating that they came from individual mixes of concrete. Mrs. Reagan sold the property to Jose and Juanita Vega for $7500 in 1947. The Vegas lived their lives there, Jose working for the Buttercrust Bakery and Juanita caring for the home and family. The Vegas’ grandson, Jose Antonio Flores, who was born in the home and is in the process of restoring it, has owned it since about 2000.

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226 City

Luman L.Goodrich built this house as a rental after building his own house at what was then 405 West Johnson. The house here first appears as 403 West Johnson. John F. Attfield, civil engineer, and his wife, Clara, rented it sometime after the census of 1900 and before the publication of the 1901 city directory. This indicates a construction date prior to 1900, which correlates with the architecture of the house. In 1912, Mr. Goodrich deeded the property to his sister, Minnie Goodrich, reserving a life estate for himself. Apparently, there was a change of plans because in 1915, the family sold the house to E.B. and Annie Hudson and moved to California. Ralph Zork bought it in 1934 and it was again a rental for some years. Gregorio and Antonia Garza bought the property in 1944 and raised their family there. Mr. Garza specialized in aircraft hydraulic systems repair at Kelly Air Force Base. Money earned during the time he did repair and salvage work at Pearl Harbor after the attack on December 7, 1941, provided the nest egg to buy this house. His son, Richard Garza, purchased the small house at the side, an office for a housing developer, about 1963 and moved it here for his children to use as a playhouse. The property is still owned by the family.

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103 West Johnson

Sometime before 1892, Luman Goodrich had gathered enough money to build his house at 405 W. Johnson. In 1913 he sold the house; it passed through several owners and is said to have been destroyed in the flood of 10 September 1921. When John W. (Jack) Kent, Sr., purchased this property from Fred Nicholson in 1946, it was a vacant lot. While Jack was in service during World War II, his parents, Ralph and Marguerite Kent, lived in and managed the Maurer Apartments (see 220 Beauregard). Ralph also worked at the Buckhorn Saloon downtown. After the war, Jack Sr. designed this house, had it built by Joe Rivero, and moved the family here in 1952. He met his future wife, June Kilstofte when she interviewed him about his syndicated cartoon, King Aroo, and the house. The two-story addition with screened porches facing the river was built by Jack Jr. in 2005-2006 on the foundation of an earlier one-story space. The house is now owned by John W. (Jack) Kent Jr., and Susan Athené.

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203 West Johnson

Frank and Lizzie Kring bought three lots at the corner of City and Johnson in 1906 for $3,500. There is no listing for a house at this location in the city directory prior to that time nor is there a structure here on the 1904 Sanborn map. They probably built the house and moved in sometime in late 1907. Frank was the proprietor of San Antonio Horse and Mule Co. His son, Ernst, who lived with them, was a collector. Lizzie Singer purchased the property from them in 1913 for $6,000. In 1944 her estate sold this house to J. B. Eccell, who immediately sold it to Louis Smasal. At the same time, 221 City, which was part of the Kring’s original purchase, was sold to Feliz Garcia. Other owners of this house were: Angeline and Ross Starr, who bought it in 1949; James and Laura Hernandez, who purchased it in 2000; Richard Dunfield in 2004; George and Mary Reihner in 2011; and Jennifer Zinn in 2014.

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207 West Johnson

S.M. York, a barber, and Mrs. Juliana Garlinghouse, a widow, were living here in 1903. The house was probably built by August Faltin as a rental house in about 1903. When Clara Faltin, his daughter, sold the property to Louis Haass in 1906, the deed gives the address as 249 West Johnson, which is confirmed by the 1904 Sanborn map. John and Margaret Laird bought the property in 1908. After William E. Geyer acquired the property in 1919 he made additions to the house in 1926 and again in 1930. One of the additions was a small enclosed porch on the left, the other a small room on the right at the back of the house. Mr. Geyer was a professional organist who provided musical accompaniment for early movies and stage shows at the Majestic Theater. His widow, Laura, and his son, William (see 732 East Guenther), sold the house to Marco and Josephine Botello in 1960. It is now owned by the Botellos’ daughter, Maria Botello Feist.

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210 West Johnson

Fannie Simpson was the only heir to Judge I.P. Simpson and this lot was part of her inheritance. She sold it and other property to Kate Gosling in 1896. This lot and the one next door eventually came to be owned by James and Mary Mackey, who lived in a house where the San Antonio River Authority is now located. When the Mackeys offered to sell Marco Botello the empty lot at 210 West Johnson, it seemed the perfect location. At the time, his mother, Adelaida De La Garza Vda. De Botello, lived at 916 Main (then 116 Frasch) and he worked as a supervisor for Edgar Tobin Aerial Surveys on Camp Street. Marco and his wife, Josephine, designed the house and hired Moore Lumber Co. to build it in 1960. They raised their family in this house and their kids played at the riverside just behind their house. When the river was rerouted in the mid-1960s, they lost the riverbank. Josephine Botello Garcia, their daughter, now owns the house and has many memories of growing up here, of her dad walking to work, the dispensary and visiting nurse both provided free to Tobin employees’ families, and, best of all, 5-cent lunches in the company cafeteria on enchilada day.

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211 West Johnson

Thomas and Ella Tyler purchased this property along with the lot at 207 West Johnson from August S. and Annie Guillot in 1898 and are shown living here in the U.S. Census of 1900. The house was identified variously as 247, 315, and finally 211 West Johnson. After August Faltin purchased the property in 1903, it was rented to Harry A. McArdle, a well-known Texas artist who painted the Battle of San Jacinto. Clara Faltin, who inherited the property from her father, sold the house and lot to Mary R Mason in 1906. Its first permanent residents were J.B. and Avis Sheppard, who bought it in 1910 and moved in. Mr. Sheppard was a merchant specializing in “groceries, feed, camp and yard” supplies at 422 South Flores. Members of their family occupied the house until the mid-1950s when Victor Villanueva bought it. He sold it to Marco Botello in 1974 and Marco’s son, Marco Antonio Botello Jr., now owns this home.

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