A day was spent in the King William District. It is located south of downtown and was formerly farm land belonging to the Mission San Antonio de Valero, commonly known as the Alamo.
In 1793, the lands were divided among the resident Indian families from the mission or sold at public auction. In the 1860s the area was subdivided into lots and laid out with the present streets.
In the mid-nineteenth century a great many Germans, who had immigrated to Texas in the 1840s, began to settle in this area.
The area developed into an idyllic neighborhood of large, impressive houses designed in the Greek Revival, Victorian, and Italianate styles.
In the early 1900s the King William area began to wane as a fashionable neighborhood, and by 1920 many of the original homeowners had died and their children moved to other parts of San Antonio. During the 1930s and 1940s the neighborhood declined. Many of the fine old homes were converted into apartments, and only a few of the earlier settlers remained.
Around 1950, however, the area began to attract a group of people who found its proximity to the downtown business district attractive and who, moreover, recognized the potential of restoration of the fine old houses and smaller cottages. An interest in preservation of the area was initiated, and it slowly became a "fashionable" and desirable place to live once again.
The River Walk has been extended to the King William District and when you walk along the path you are able to see the back yards of some of the old elegant homes.
Many have bountiful flower gardens.
This one had the most ornate gazebo.
Most have fencing that does not interfere with their view of the river.
Also along the river is the old United States Arsenal. It was established in 1859 and included six main buildings: an office building, commanding officer's quarters, servants' quarters, a stable, a magazine building and a storehouse.
In 1985, H. E. Butt Company (H.E.B. food store) bought ten acres of the Arsenal complex, rehabilitated the existing buildings, and moved their corporate headquarters to San Antonio from Corpus Christi, Texas. New limestone buildings have been constructed to meet the corporation’s needs while complementing the historic character of the remaining arsenal buildings. It would be a wonderful environment to work in.
The King William portion of the River Walk is peaceful and serene. About the only others we saw on the path were joggers. And many many squirrels.
Then our peace and serenity was interrupted by this. He slithered across the path and into the water. Someone told us it was probably a water moccasin. Time to head for the street.
The houses, whether great or small, have been meticulously restored and those that haven't are works in progress.
I wished for peeks inside.
The yards were perfectly manicured. I read that this house cost $6000.00 to build in 1884.
This one was still a work in progress but the trim work on the porch was complete and oh so pretty.
The interesting architecture comes in all shapes and sizes.
It is like a history lesson in what craftsmanship is really like. This is Villa Finale. It was the last home of local preservationist, Walter Nold Mathis who was instrumental in the revitalization of the historic King William neighborhood. You can take tours of it and even have your wedding here.
Ok, this one knocked my socks off................If someone gave me this I might just give up Gypsy. It was designed by the architect that designed many of the fine old Texas Courthouses..
This is the second and third floor of the Steves Homestead. ( I laughed at it being called a homestead. Isn't that a house on a farm out on the prairie ?) It has the concave mansard roof with those beautifully detailed windows and the iron cresting on top. It is a museum now.
With all the huge, old trees I was imagining what it would look like in the fall. Blazing color for sure.
That imagining led me to envision how those homes would look all decorated for Christmas.
This house and the house next door are almost twins and were built by the same builder in 1900.
This house was built in 1875 and remained in the same family for over 100 years.
Greek Revival Architecture has always appealed to me. I like how everything is symmetrical.
I could have stayed all day and click, click, clicked. There were so many houses to see.
The is called a Victorian Folk House. Looks like it could step right out of a fairy tale book.
I'm not "lion" if you come to San Antonio you need to go to the King William District.