San Antonio
Description
San Antonio
Built in 1893, this three-story limestone mansion opened to the public as a museum in 2018. It was originally built for William Harvey Maverick, whose father had been one of the signatories to the Texas Declaration of Independence. In 1914, the property was purchased by H.C. Carter, a prominent San Antonio attorney and former president of the Texas Bar Association. Carter's wife, Aline, had strong interests in music, astronomy, and poetry, and she later became a professional poet, serving as the Poet Laureate of Texas from 1947 to 1949. Aline Carter worked with the artisan Ethel Wilson Harris to convert the home's library into a small chapel with a century-old pump organ. She also added an astronomical observatory onto the roof for viewing the night sky. Aline's original typewriter and piano have been preserved, along with period furniture and other unique features within the home, including a nautical communication system and a bell service. The Maverick Carter House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998 and designated a Texas Historic Landmark in 2010.
Located across the street from Travis Park, St. Mark's Episcopal Church is a beautiful Gothic Revival church built in 1875. The other structures, including the parish hall and education building, were erected in the 1900s. The church features buttresses, steep roofs, angled walls, and stained glass windows—all typical features of Gothic architecture. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.
The San Antonio Casino Club Building is a historic, triangle-shaped structure situated along the San Antonio Riverwalk at the intersection of Crockett and Press Streets. Erected in 1927, it is unique not only for its shape but for the fact that its design combines Art Deco architecture with Mayan detailing. It also features a stepped central above the main entrance. The club was founded in 1925 when two clubs (the Casino Club, established 1854; and the San Antonio Club, established 1881) merged. The San Antonio Casino Club Building once featured club rooms, dormitories, dining rooms, and a ballroom. Today, it is now an apartment building with a restaurant on the ground floor. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. The art collection is now located at the Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
San Antonio’s Artpace is an internationally renowned artist residency program and contemporary art museum. Artpace welcomes national and international artists and creates an environment for artists to experiment with their work and grow as an artist. In addition to ts residency program, the gallery also hosts exhibition programs and educational programs for K-12, the community, university, and adults.
”Sonic Passage” was created for the 2009 Museum Reach, which extended the River Walk northeast of downtown. The San Antonio River Foundation commissioned the sound artist Bill Fontana to create a unique installation at the Jones Avenue Underpass and Bridge. Fontana spent time recording the sounds of local wildlife in their natural habitats, including crickets, bullfrogs, insects, and birds, as well as moving water, to reflect the ecology of the river and surrounding areas. He also recorded the sounds of human interaction, such as the passage of riverboats, the sound of an old mill wheel turning, and cyclists traversing the River Walk. The result was "Sonic Passage," part ambient soundscape and part public art project, highlighting the convergence of nature and culture along the San Antonio River.
Built in 1894 as the bottling department for the Pearl Brewing Company, the original Classical Revival-style building was destroyed by a fire in 2004. However, the historic cornerstones and stone nameplates were salvaged, and the building was reconstructed as the new "Food Hall at Bottling Department" in the redeveloped Pearl District. The Food Hall contains several dining options, offering a diverse range of cuisine at various food stalls and counters. Underneath the building, the basement contains a live music venue known as "Jazz, TX." The original Bottling Department processed beverages for the San Antonio Brewing Company even before the name was changed to the Pearl Brewing Company, which remained in business until 2001.
The Edward Steves Homestead is a part of the historic King William District. Built in 1876, the victorian mansion was home to the founder of the Steves Lumber Company, Edward Steves, who with his wife, moved to San Antonio from Germany. It is speculated that popular San Antonio architect Alfred Giles was the the designer of the home. The house is made of ashlar limestone and is reminiscent of the French Second Empire and the Italian Villa styles. Today, the home is maintained by the San Antonio Conservation Society and serves as a museum open to the public for historic tours.
German immigrant and founder of Pioneer Flour Mills, Carl H. Guenther (1825-1902), built this home in 1860. The home and business has successfully remained in the Guenther family, and today, the home features a museum, mill store, and restaurant. The museum features a variety of items on display including Dresden china plates, baking accessories, paintings, and fine furniture such as a Victoria marble-top table.
One of Mexico's most celebrated musicians and composers of the early 20th century, Silvestre Revueltas (1899-1940), lived in this house from 1926 to 1928. Revueltas came to San Antonio to serve as concertmaster at the Aztec Theater and returned to Mexico in 1928 to become associate director and featured soloist with the Mexican Symphonic Orchestra in Mexico City. A historical marker describing his life is located in front of the house. Revueltas was a talented violinist and composed a variety of works including film scores. One of his most famous works is "Sensemayá," which he composted in 1938. The home continues to be a private residence.
Located on Fort Sam Houston, the Pershing House is a truly distinguished residence. It was built in 1881 in the late Victorian style to be the home for the commander (and family) of the fort, who is also known as the commandant. Although it has been updated over the years, it still retains much of its original architectural integrity. It is named after one of the military officers who lived here, General John J. Pershing, who would command the American Expeditionary Force in World War I. He would also be named General of the Armies, the highest military rank in the U.S. military. Numerous other military officers of significance lived here including Medal of Honor recipients. The house remains the residence of the fort's commanding officer. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.
German immigrant and president of the Pearl Brewing Company, Otto Koehler (1855-1914), built this grand, elegant Victorian home in 1901. Designed by architect Carol von Seutter, notable features include Palladian windows, balustraded porches, large round bays, and a polygonal turret. It is located on the San Antonio College campus and for many years operated as the Koehler Cultural Center and housed the studios of the Visual Arts and Technology Department. Its use as of of April 2023 is unclear. The house sits on a property that occupies an entire city block and includes a large carriage house.
Now the location of the Woman's Club of San Antonio, the David J. and May Bock Woodward House is an architecturally unique building in the neighborhood. Built in 1918 and designed in the Classical Revival style, it also exemplifies upper class living during the early 20th century. The Woodwards bought and renovated houses and sold them for profit. David passed away sometime before 1926, when May sold it to the Woman's Club. Although it has undergone some changes to suit the club's needs, the house is well preserved. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1994.
Real estate developer Jay Adams built this elegant Queen Anne-style home in 1893. One of the oldest houses in the Monte Vista neighborhood, it was designed by architects Solon McAdoo and Albert P. Woodley and features a rusticated limestone and wood exterior, covered porches, decorative wood shingles, a rounded corner tower, and an ornate front porch railing with griffins made of copper and tin alloy. The property also includes a two-story carriage house that also has a conical corner roof. The Adams House continues to be a private residence today.
Built for Daniel J. Sullivan, an Irish immigrant who served in the Texas Cavalry during the Civil War, the Sullivan Carriage House is located at the entrance to the San Antonio Botanical Garden. The limestone structure was designed by the English architect, Alfred Giles, in the Richardson Romanesque style. Following a restoration of the carriage house in 2021, a small bistro, Jardin, began to operate inside the updated space, offering cuisine sourced with fresh local ingredients. Seating is available in a main dining area and also at wooden tables within the individualized horse stalls that have been preserved inside this historic structure.
Founded by Spanish clergy who traveled to San Antonio in 1926, the house of worship for Our Lady of Mount Carmel and St. Thérèse Church was constructed in the Art Deco style in 1931. The church building was dedicated to Saint Thérèse, and among the hand carved decor, marble altars, and exquisite stained glass there also exists a seven foot tall, ten foot wide painting of Saint Thérèse which was made by her own sister, Sr. Celine Martin; in 1925, the painting was carried to the Vatican for the canonization of St. Therese. Today, mass is held daily on site, and a community of Discalced Carmelite friars, who perform apostolic activities and teach on religious principles, reside in a monastery located adjacent to the Basilica; just across the street from the Basilica is Little Flower School and the Convent of Sisters of the Holy Spirit.
Sacred Heart Chapel is the spiritual centerpiece of Our Lady of the Lake University, which the Sisters of Divine Providence (also known as the Congregation of Divine Providence) founded in 1895. Designed by leading local architect Leo Dielmann (1849-1923), it is a fine example of Late Gothic Revival architecture, featuring buttresses, lancet windows, cast-stone tracery, pinnacles, and a large bell tower that reaches a height of 193 feet. The chapel was built in 1923 and is located between and connected by corridors to the university's Main Building and the Sisters of Divine Convent. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2021.
Built in 1956, this was the home of Ethel Wilson Harris, an artisan, patron of the arts, and the first woman to manage a national historic site in Texas. The property was designed by her son, Robert, in the Modernist style. At the time of the home's construction, Harris was working as the park manager for the Mission San José, a position that she held from 1938 to 1963. For many years, she also sold her own handcrafted pottery and tile art in the granary building at the mission. During the 1930s, Harris oversaw tile art projects in the city through her appointment as the local technical director of the Arts and Crafts Division of the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Her one-story stone residence was built within what is now the San Antonio Missions National Historic Park, operated by the National Park Service.