Jay Adams House

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.

When Jay Adams and his wife, Mame Young, came to San Antonio in the late 1880s, the city was in the midst of an economic boom that would last into the early 20th century. The arrival of the railroad in 1877 sparked this period of growth and as a result, San Antonio's population increased and the city became an important trading center. A streetcar was also built by the late 1880s. This activity attracted wealthy newcomers who began building homes the Monte Vista neighborhood, which was then known as Laurel Heights.

Real estate developers, including Jay Adams, played a key role in this period. They arrived in San Antonio from the West and Midwest where economic booms had died down in search of new investment opportunities. Adams, who was born in Iowa in 1862, moved to San Antonio from Denver where he had established his real estate business. He previously lived in Nebraska where he worked as a teacher and a clerk. He also met Mame there; they married in 1883. Adams first visited San Antonio in 1888 along with other investors and decided to permanently relocate in 1889. He and his brother bought an 18 acre tract and the next year, Adams and two partners bought another 18-acre property. Eventually, he acquired a total of 73 acres and called the property Laurel Heights.

Adams built the house in 1893. He and Mame held many dances on the third floor ballroom. It does not appear they had children. Inside, the house features a grand oak staircase that rises to the third floor, eight fireplaces, nine-foot pocket doors, a circular first floor parlor, and leaded glass doors and windows.

He and Mame lived in the house until 1898 and moved to a new house in the adjacent neighborhood he was developing. A series of prominent owners lived in the house including W.E. Moore and Dr. Frederick Combe. During World War II, the owners rented rooms to women from military bases. After the war, rooms were rented to students from area schools and colleges. In 1988, the house became a bed and breakfast and that appears to have operated until 1993. The house was sold in 2002 and again in 2010.

"Adams House." San Antonio Registry. Accessed April 3, 2023. https://www.sahouseregistry.com/houses/505-belknap.

"The Jay Adams House." Texas Historical Commission - Recorded Texas Historic Landmark Markers Form. January 27, 2012. https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth491880/m2/1/high_res_d/Bexar-Co_Jay-Adams-House.pdf.

"Jay Adams House." The Historical Marker Database. Accessed April 3, 2023. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=176078.