The Sullivan Carriage House & Jardin Restaurant

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.

This carriage house was constructed in 1890 for Daniel J. Sullivan, an Irish immigrant and Texas banker who funded many nineteenth-century cattle drives in San Antonio and South Texas. It included a horse barn and was located behind the main home on Sullivan's property. Following his death, the property was inherited by one of his daughters, Mary Elizabeth, who was married to Major General John Lincoln Clem. According to one anecdote about the property, when John Clem was only nine years old, he attempted to enlist in the Union Army. However, he was promptly turned away because he was too young. Instead, he unofficially joined the 22nd Michigan Infantry, with which he traveled to southwestern Tennessee. There, he participated in the Battle of Shiloh as a drummer, earning the moniker "the Drummer Boy of Shiloh."

Eventually, the historic carriage house on the property of the Sullivan and Clem families was offered for sale to the San Antonio Botanical Garden. The plan was for the building to be preserved, but there was one condition: the carriage house would have to be moved to its new location in three months or less. Fortunately, the Conservation Society of San Antonio stepped up and offered to assist with funding and with the transportation of materials. Stonemasons were hired to completely disassemble the building brick by brick. Each limestone block was carefully cleaned, labeled, and transported to the new location. The carriage house was reassembled "stone by stone" on the grounds of the San Antonio Botanical Garden, close to the main entrance. A stone courtyard, walkways, and a staircase were added to the exterior, while lush gardens and trees were planted around the building to create the impression that the carriage house had always existed in this spot, seamlessly integrated with the landscape.

After opening to the public for the first time in 1995, the historic carriage house continued to be used as the main entrance to the San Antonio Botanical Garden until 2018. At that time, it was converted into a restaurant through an adaptive reuse project. Today, it currently houses Jardin, a bistro-style restaurant offering Mediterranean cuisine prepared with fresh local ingredients in a farmhouse setting. The Carriage House has been described by the Botanical Garden as "a step back in history so real that you can almost hear the wooden wheels and horse hooves." Within the interior, even the original individual horse stalls have been preserved. In addition to the regular dining area, wooden tables have been placed in each stall, so that visitors can enjoy the rustic ambiance of dining in the historic stables. Also inside the Carriage House is a small gift shop filled with decorative garden-themed items and seasonal gifts.

Featured Attractions: The Daniel J. Sullivan Carriage House, San Antonio Botanical Garden. Accessed April 14th, 2023. https://www.sabot.org/explore/featured-attractions/.

Home, Jardin Restaurant. Accessed April 14th, 2023. https://www.jardinsatx.com/.

San Antonio Botanical Garden , Texas Time Travel. Accessed April 14th, 2023. https://texastimetravel.com/directory/san-antonio-botanical-garden/.

Sullivan Carriage House, Alamo Architects. Accessed April 14th, 2023. https://www.alamoarchitects.com/our-projects/sullivan-carriage-house/.