Texas' Coolest Neighborhood
San Antonio's King (Wilhelm) William Neighborhood
To complete my final blog series from San Antonio I offer some photos from a walk in the King William Historic District.
Sometimes referred to as "Sauerkraut Bend" (due to its location along the San Antonio river and being the neighborhood of wealthy German merchants in the 1800's), the King William is a leafy 25 block neighborhood near downtown.
The land on which it rests, originally part of the grounds to The Alamo, holds the distinction of being designated Texas' first historic district.
When I visited San Antonio many years ago this neighborhood had sort of a "Grey Gardens" feel to it; with lots of amazing old houses all resting in a state of arrested decay.
Upon my return this year I found most have transformed from moth to butterflies. History rich gleaming showpieces. I covet them.....
So please plan a couple of hours on foot or on bicycle to experience the King William. And remember the Blue Star Brewery and Pioneer Mill are both nearby offering super shops like San Angel - one of the finest outsider art shops anywhere, and food and drink of all sorts.
The Elias Edmonds House 1875
(Where Mrs. Edmonds operated a "Ladies Boarding School")
The Carl Harnisch House 1884
(One of San Antonio's earliest brick homes)
The Steves Homestead 1876
(Which featured San Antonio's first indoor swimming pool)
The Ike West Home 1892
The Norton/Polk/Mathis House 1876
The George Kalteyer House 1892
(Designed by architect James Riely Gordon - known for his Texas courthouses)
Stonework Detail Kalteyer House
Generous Lots With a Canopy of Leaves
A 1940's Moderne
(Occupying the former tennis court of the Groos house)
Merely walking through a neighborhood like this starts everyone with a heartbeat daydreaming about what it would be like to live there.
I truly love places like that.
Roadboy's Travels © 2012
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