Travel Bug: King William Historic District

Showing posts with label King William Historic District. Show all posts

Saturday, February 23, 2019

The Texas Trail Roundup - Saturday, February 23, 2019

For the past few days, I have been wrapped up in preparations for the Texas Trail Roundup (TTR), a three-day walking event in San Antonio, Texas. We have a cadre of volunteers who are working hard to provide a good experience to walkers from the U.S., Canada, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and I'm not sure of the other countries.

This is the third year we've hosted the TTR. Our goal is to be admitted into the IML (International Marching League), a cousin to Volkssporting. This is the year we will find out if we meet all the criteria to be a world-class walking city for the IML. If we pass with flying colors, in future years IML walkers from all over the world will come to walk with us. There could be upward of 200-400 IML walkers joining us. How exciting!

Through my blog, you'll see just one person's TTR experience. Hopefully, you all will post about your experiences and share your photos. I see some of you have already done that on the TTR Facebook page. Thumbs up to you.

Last week, Susan Medlin and I checked the 5k walk to make sure it was the right distance. On Thursday afternoon this week, I marked Friday morning's 5k walk. Luckily, there were no new construction projects or detours. It took me three hours to put up 62 arrows and a few streamers. Downtown walking sure has a lot of turns!

I learned that the traffic light poles onto which I affixed the arrows are quite big around. In order to put up the arrows with shrink wrap, I had to hug the poles tightly. It was an interesting task. Sometimes I had to ask tourists or workers to help me get the first round of shrink wrap around the arrow on the pole. (Bob said when he did his light poles, he used his forehead to hold on the arrow while he used both arms to put the shrink wrap on. That bright idea never occurred to me.)

San Pedro Culture Park extension.
(The new Frost Bank Tower is on the left.)

One large, new construction project going on in downtown (which didn't affect our route) is an expansion of the San Pedro Creek Culture Park. I took a photo of it while I was marking the trail, and in 2020 I can take a comparative photo from the same place to see the difference when it's completed.

On Friday around noon, I took all the 5k markings down. No one had tampered with them and I recovered all the arrows. It only took me 1-1/2 hours to remove them.

The TTR opening ceremony was well underway by the time I tried to sneak in the door. The room was packed and spilling over into the hallway. We had a few speakers (who I missed), and then a high school cheer squad and drum corps infused our group with their energy. It was a good send-off!

Cheer squad.

One of the drummers.

A very full room!

Saturday morning at 6:30, I was a greeter and pointed people in the right direction to sign in.

The marathon and half-marathon walkers were heading out early so they could finish by 5:00 p.m. The half-marathon (21k/13 miles) walkers were bused to the start point at Mission Espada and they will walk back to the Holiday Inn. The marathon walkers started at the Holiday Inn and walked to Mission Espada and back.

After the greeter gig, Bob and I walked the 5k though King William Historic District, to the Guenther House, and then through the Blue Star Arts Complex. It was a fantastic day for walking with a temperature in the high 60s/low 70s. A nice breeze kept us from overheating as we walked.

Here are photos of the King William Historic District...

Fancy birdhouse in someone's yard.

Riverwalk Architect Robert H. H. Hugman's home is in King William Historic District. He saved the San Antonio River from being paved over when he proposed an urban park with shops, restaurants, and apartments, along with a path along the river. The rest, as they say, is history. But there's more to the story. Apparently, Hugman was not an easy man to get along with. The city ended up giving the contract to someone else. Look up the history for more in-depth information.

Architect Robert H. H. Hugman's home.

The plant below made me do a double-take. I'm pretty sure it's a poinsettia. It's growing as big here as they grow in Hawaii!

Poinsettia.

Mountain laurel.

Below is a portion of the Riverwalk that goes past The Guenther House, which is a great place for breakfast or lunch (no dinner). The restaurant is located in a historic home that was part of the family who owned the Pioneer Flour Mill. Let's just say that the crepes, waffles, pancakes, cinnamon rolls, croissants, and strudel are excellent. If you don't want to eat a meal there, you can go into the basement of the house and shop at the bakery. On the second floor is a gift shop with kitchen items and flour products: pancake mix, etc.

The Riverwalk.

A block-long mural on South Alamo Street
near the Blue Star Arts Complex.

More of the above mural.

See below for a photo of the dam by the Blue Star Arts Complex.

The San Antonio River behind the dam.

Yesterday, Bob Alton and Jim Tree marked the marathon route for today on foot. This afternoon they are taking the markings down. Those guys are real troopers. Susan and Darren Medlin marked the 21k route yesterday and used bikes to do it. Darren cleared the 21k route this afternoon, while Susan marked the 21k for Sunday. I am in awe of the people with that much energy! And, we have other volunteers marking and clearing the 5k and 13k trails Saturday and Sunday as well.

Tonight is the Mixer at 6:00 p.m. at the Holiday Inn. We will have what I believe are called "heavy hors d'oeuvres." That means you can make a meal out of what's offered, things like meatballs. Sounds good to me. I bet everyone's going to be very hungry after all this walking.

Tomorrow, I will be a greeter again from 7:00-11:00 a.m. Then Angie and Bob from Traveler's World RV Resort are joining me for a 5k walk downtown. I'm looking forward to walking with them.

Thank you to Susan & Darren Medlin, John & Susan Ives, Ellen Ott, Pat Gunter, Pat Roberts, Heinz & Priscilla Johnson, Gerry Kamicka, Jim Tree, Bob Alton, David Prewitt, Mike and Kathy Schwencke, Joe & Susan Noonan, Joanne Forinash, Herb Laing, Erin Grosso, Wayne Henry, Mike Jones, Caryl Swann, Tony & Nancy Paulsen, Diana Battan, Linda Goodman, Karen Winkle, Cindi Myers, Samanta Sanchez, Gary & Marietta Pritchard, Andy Thomas, Deanna Repp, Marian DeVaul, Mike Hermes, Jack Magness, Laurie Stiteler, Kim Fluke & spouse, Ed Roberson, Maggie Riggs, Robin Fennell, Reuben & Marta Knape, Jill Troyer, Sheri Logan, Nan Camino, Dee Hoedecke, Carol Obianwu, Nellie Aguirre, Carol Talpey, Dora Pfledging, Dave Sheppard, Deborah Carter, Helen Hull, Robert Theiss, Derrill Rothermich, Donnie King, and anyone I may have inadvertently missed. You are all part of the team that keeps things running smoothly like a Swiss timepiece. The Texas Trail Roundup appreciates all the hard work and effort you have donated to the event! Bravo/brava.

Sunday, February 25, 2018

Lost and Found - Saturday, Feb. 24, 2018

Tiredness can do strange things to your brain. For example, this morning my brain was working on only three hours of sleep. [In case you haven't read my blog before, I will tell you right now, I am a night owl. Getting up before 10:00-11:00 a.m. is hard for me on a weekend. This morning, I was up at 4:30 a.m. (before the birds, which is for the birds and makes me cuckoo!). I needed to be at the pre-registration table by 6:30 a.m. to start my volunteer shift.]

When I got ready to leave our place, I went in and out of the house four different times: twice because I had forgotten items, and twice because I forgot to turn the lights off. I made it to my shift at 6:30 a.m.

Some of you made my day this morning when you said you enjoy reading my blog. I felt like a celebrity. Thanks!

Anne, Nancy, and Diane (my fellow volunteers)

Walkers registering this morning

Joanne Forinash and Heinz Johnson chatting

More early-morning registrants

Bob and Angie Huxel

I was only supposed to work until 8:15 a.m., but because the 5k walk was my goal today, not the 13k walk, I worked until 9:00 a.m. After my shift, I went to the hospitality suite, partook of the yummy breakfast snacks (string cheese, a banana, and coffee cake), fooled around with the Texas Trail Roundup photo frame (thanks Darren Medlin for taking the photo), and talked to Darren for a few minutes. By the time I did all that, it was about 9:40 a.m.

"I was framed!"

Here's another example of how tired I was...I read my walk instructions which said to head RIGHT through the parking lot and turn right on Cesar Chavez. What I did was turn right out of the front door of the Holiday Inn, then turned right again and walked through the parking lot along the other street. I kept on going for several blocks, like the directions said, only I wasn't on Cesar Chavez. I ended up going past Lucy's Doggy Day Care and the hotels along I-35.

It looks like this was originally a gas station.

I was lost. I puzzled over the map on my instructions. By the time I figured out I should have been on Cesar Chavez instead, I had walked at least 1/4 mile the wrong way. So I went back to Cesar Chavez. (With a mistake like that, it's a good thing I was only doing the 5k. Maybe I'd end up with a 10k after all from making wrong turns!)

Back on track at the Holiday Inn and turning onto Cesar Chavez, I carefully followed every instruction (except when I wanted to make a short detour in the King William Historic District).

Below is the Bill Miller Bar-B-Q "water" tower. I call it the BBQ sauce tower with a straw for those who really like the Bar-B-Q sauce.

LaQuinta's beautiful new logo

At the entrance to the King William Historic District is this fancy bench which was presented to the neighborhood by the King William Historic Association in September 2012. The bench's design includes one of the historic bridges, a historic home, the San Antonio River, and a great blue heron. It is a work of art.

Entry into King William Historic District from
St. Mary's Street

I have nicknamed King William Historic District "the area for taking too many photos." I will identify as many of the homes as I can and give you a little history and type of architecture. [NOTE: The information comes from "King William Area -- A Walking Tour" brochure by the San Antonio Conservation Society.]

The Mitchell-Oge House (photo below): The original structure consisted of a raised cottage and was built by Newton A. Mitchell. In 1882 Louis Oge, a former Texas Ranger and Indian fighter, commissioned Alfred Giles to enlarge the Greek Revival house. The present roof, the second floor, pediment, porches and doorways date from this period.

Mitchell-Oge House, 1857/1882

Anton Wulff House (photo below): Built of native limestone for Anton Wulff, a German immigrant, merchant, and the city's first parks commissioner, this house is reminiscent of Italian hillside villas with its square tower and paired windows...The Anton Wulff House and grounds are the headquarters of the San Antonio Conservation Society.

Anton Wulff House, 1870

Joseph and John Ball Houses (photo of one below): In 1868, the Ball brothers, stonemasons from Elmendorf, Texas, built ... two houses which were originally identical. The house at 120 [King William] remains virtually unchanged and is an excellent example of early Texas vernacular style. Note the standing seam metal roof. That house has a cellar that was once used for storing food. Around 1903, the house at 116 was remodeled into a two-story Victorian folk style.

One of the Ball Houses, 1870

Neighborhood historic marker

I did not see this house in the brochure.

Louis Bergstrom House (photo below): Louis Bergstrom, a Swedish cotton, wool, and hides dealer, built a one-story house in 1882, adding a second story in 1900 for his growing family. Descendants owned the Victorian Italianate house until 1975.

Louis Bergstrom House, 1882

Louis Bergstrom Cottage (photo below): The Bergstrom's built this cottage in 1910 for daughter Nellie and her dentist husband Stonewall VanWie.

Louis Bergstrom Cottage, 1910

Alexander Sartor, Jr., House (two photos below): Designed by Alfred Giles, an English-born architect, this small structure exhibits beautiful proportions and unique detailing. The walls are caliche block duplicating ashlar limestone with protruding mortar joints -- often called a "conceit" construction.

Alexander Sartor, Jr., House, 1882

Ernst Altgelt House (house on left in photo below): This was Ernst Altgelt's first house built in 1866 with a later two-story addition. Part of the early structure is covered by imitation concrete stone. In 1878, Altgelt commissioned a new home at 226 King William (not pictured). That two-story limestone residence with Victorian galleries, is as significant for the activities of its builder as it is for its architectural character. German native Ernst Altgelt came to Texas in 1850, established the Hill Country town of Comfort, and moved to San Antonio in 1866 to set up a law practice. A surveyor, he was responsible for the platting of the King William neighborhood. He named the street King William for Kaiser Wilhelm I of Prussia. Altgelt died shortly before this house was finished. The placement of the outside stairway on the side of the house was done typically to save interior living space.

Left: Ernst Altgelt House, 1866

Alexander Joske House (photo below): This Colonial Revival house was the home of the son of the founder of a Texas mercantile empire that became known as Joske's of Texas and served its citizens for over 100 years. Interesting features include the shingle roof and tall chimneys, the Ionic columns, broken scroll pediments on the third-floor windows, and the doorway with its limestone "basket handle" arch and supports. It is the only house in the area with a Texas granite curbstone.

Alexander Joske House, 1900

Max L. Oppenheimer House (photo below): Built at the beginning of the last century, this brick house is a superb example of Richardsonian Romanesque Revival style with arches of stone and brick.

Max L. Oppenheimer House, 1900

Charles Hummel House (photo below): A building permit was issued to Charles Hummel, a gunsmith, for the construction of a house "not to exceed $6,000." This Italianate house has a gable roof, bracketed eaves with fine stonework quoins on the corners.

Charles Hummel House, 1884

Carl Wilhelm August Groos House (photo below): Designed by Alfred Giles for one of three founding bankers of the Groos National Bank, this is a superb example of the Italian Villa Style. Delicate cast iron balustrades, columns and gingerbread define the porches. A belvedere crowns the roof. As with many other area houses, native limestone was used.

Carl Wilhelm August Groos House, 1880

Norton/Polk/Mathis House (photo below): The original house was built by hardware merchant Russell Norton and enlarged by rancher Edward Polk. Later, the celebrated trail boss and cattleman, Ike T. Pryor, added the front porches, a brick wing, and the Beaux Art third-story tower. The bold opulence of the design suggests something of the prosperity which accompanied the arrival of the railroad in San Antonio in the late 1870s. This Italianate Victorian house has five types of columns, an intricate frieze, and is crowned by a square of wrought iron cresting over metal shingles.

Norton/Polk/Mathis House, 1876

And now we come to my personal favorite...The George Kalteyer House (photo below): This house was designed by architect James Riely Gordon, best known for his Texas courthouses, including the one for Bexar County in San Antonio. It reflects his interest in the powerful masonry forms that are associated with the Richardsonian Romanesque style. Notice the solid, heavy proportions; the banded, arched window heads; the turrets and the friezes above the second-story bay and entrance portico, and around the larger tower. George Kalteyer was a prominent local druggist.

George Kalteyer House, 1892

Ike West House (photo below): The unusual entrance of this Second-Empire-style house suggests that it was adapted from a pattern book design for a corner lot. Notice the simple cast iron crestings, wooden spindles, brackets and turned balustrades. The house, built by Smith M. Ellis, was bought by rancher Sol West who passed it to his son Ike West.

Ike West House, 1887

Edward Steves Homestead (photo below): The Edward Steves, Sr., residence is of Victorian French Second Empire design and constructed of smooth-dressed ashlar limestone. Immigrating from Germany in 1848 and subsequently settling in San Antonio, Mr. Steves became a civic leader and the proprietor of a successful lumber business. The three-story home is a rectangular block with the kitchen and servants' quarters forming an ell to the rear. The house has a concave mansard roof with dormer windows, cast iron cresting, bracketed eaves, and tall round windows. Also present on the property are a carriage house, servants' quarters, and a natatorium, the first indoor swimming pool in the city. The fountain in the side yard was purchased by Mr. Steves at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition of 1876. Owned by the San Antonio Conservation Society, the property is operated as a house museum.

Edward Steves Homestead, 1876 (side view)

Edward Steves Homestead, front view

From the tony neighborhood, our walk took us by a beautiful mural on Alamo Street, to a checkpoint at the Guenther House/Pioneer Flour Mills, and to the Blue Star Arts Complex.

Mural on Alamo Street near Blue Star Arts Complex

Close-up of mural

Mural artists

Another close up

While walking over the Alamo Street Bridge, I looked down and saw this Great White Egret hanging out.

Great white egrett

At a bus stop outside the Blue Star Arts Complex is this grouping of benches. The quote is Picasso: "Art washes from the soul the dust of everyday life."

One of the flood control gates on the
San Antonio River

I caught the egret on take off!

The River Walk by the Guenther House

Egyptian geese

The Pioneer Flour Mills Tower is an iconic landmark in San Antonio. At the base of the tower you will find the Guenther House restaurant which is open seven days a week for breakfast and lunch. If you try to go on a weekend, there is usually a 1-1/2 to two hour wait. I recommend going on a weekday, although lunchtime can get pretty crowded. They have excellent Belgium waffles, crepes, sandwiches, etc. There is a bakery in the basement of the historic house where the restaurant is located. Go for the strudels or pecan sticky buns. Mmm!

A neotropic cormorant

More signs of spring!

Below is an elaborate bike path set up: The single path next to the fence is for pedestrians. The double path to the left of the pedestrian path is for bikes.

The Commander's House (commander of what
wasn't stated on our walk instructions).

Commander's House wrap-around verandas.

Pretty rose

Here's an old-fashioned fire escape!

I was enthralled with the plant wall on the back of H-E-B South Flores Market. It is pretty in both color and texture.

Plant wall on the back of the H-E-B store

A huge construction site...San Antonio
keeps on growing.

I finally made it back to the Holiday Inn and took a few photos around the Hospitality Suite.

Walking Adventures International booth

Texas Trail Roundup decor

Upcoming walks

Shootin' the breeze in a comfortable space

After the walk, I went home and napped for a couple of hours. Bob was still out walking. He walked a half marathon today.

Yesterday, he walked a half marathon as a volunteer out marking the route. Today, he picked up his share of the markings at the end of the day. Special thanks to everyone who was out marking the trails. Susan and Darren Medlin spent eight hours marking the marathon route yesterday. Jim Tree also helped. I know there were more people helping with route marking, but I don't know all the names. Thank you to everyone who put out all the signs so we wouldn't get lost (everyone but me, that is).

Tomorrow morning, Bob will be out marking a 10k route. I will be volunteering in pre-registration again. In the morning I will decide if I will do the 5k or the 13k. I'm leaning toward the 13k because I like where it goes. It depends on the weather and my knee.

This evening we had our banquet at El Mirador. A big group of people walked from the Holiday Inn to the restaurant. We drove. Dinner was good and we met new friends and had great conversations.