Monte Vista Historic District
San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas
Marker Inscription
One of several San Antonio suburbs created between 1890 and 1930, Monte Vista has retained much of its historic character from that time. City brewery president Otto Koehler, oilman Ed Galt, West Texas cattleman Alfred Gage, veterinary Surgeon J.G. Talcott, and former San Antonio mayor and New Deal Congressman Maury Maverick business and civic leaders who built their homes in this area. The neighborhood is an eclectic blend of many styles of architect, including Georgian and Renaissance Revival, Mediterranean, Neo-Spanish, victorian, and Art Deco. Represented here are the designs of several noted architects such as J. Riely Gordon, who is best known for his Texas courthouses. Atlee B. Ayres was responsible for a number of the homes in Monte Vista, while H.A. Reuter designed the distincitive renaissnce revivial Manison at 114 east Kings Hwy for cattle baron Herbert Kokernot. San antonio architect Robert Kelly designed the 8-story Bushnell apartment building, which is the tallest structure in the district. Characterized by its distinctive homes and colorful history, Monte Vista is a reminder of San Antonio's growth and turn-of-the-century development.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Monte Vista rose between 1890 and 1930 as one of San Antonio's fashionable suburbs, where brewery presidents, oilmen, cattle barons, and civic leaders built showcase homes. Its streets hold an eclectic mix of Georgian, Renaissance Revival, Mediterranean, Victorian, and Art Deco designs, some by noted architects such as courthouse designer J. Riely Gordon and Atlee B. Ayres. The district survives as a colorful record of the city's turn-of-the-century growth.
Why it matters
Monte Vista preserves the architecture and social history of the prosperous class who shaped San Antonio during its early-twentieth-century boom.
Plan your visit
NearbyMake a day of it — museums, food, and places to stay near this marker.
Museums & culture
- San Antonio Museum of Art1.1 mi away · 200 West Jones Avenue, San Antonio
- Visitor's Center Museum1.4 mi away
- Artpace1.4 mi away · 445 North Main Avenue, San Antonio, TX
- Buckhorn Saloon and Museum1.7 mi away
- Alamo Vistor Center and Museum (coming 2027)1.7 mi away
- San Antonio Fire Museum1.8 mi away · 801 East Houston Street
Attractions
- Scobee Planetarium0.5 mi away
- Terror Mansion0.7 mi away
- River boat boarding0.9 mi away
- Murchison Tower1.0 mi away
- Japanese Tea Garden1.2 mi away
- boat ride boarding1.3 mi away
Food & drink
- La Vida Coffee & Drinks1.7 mi away · 106 Jefferson Street
- Texas de Brazil1.7 mi away · 313 East Houston Street, San Antonio
- Voodoo Donut1.7 mi away
- Playland Pizza1.7 mi away
- Maddy McMurphy's Irish Sports Bar1.7 mi away · 420 East Houston Street, San Antonio, TX
- The Local Bar1.7 mi away
Places to stay
- Best Western Premier Historic Travelers Hotel Alamo/Riverwalk1.6 mi away
- The St. Anthony, a Luxury Collection Hotel, San Antonio1.6 mi away · 300 E Travis St, San Antonio, TX
- Sheraton Gunter Hotel San Antonio1.7 mi away · 205 East Houston Street, San Antonio, TX
- Home2 Suites by Hilton San Antonio Downtown - Riverwalk, TX1.7 mi away · 603 Navarro Street, San Antonio, TX
- Hotel Gibbs Downtown San Antonio Riverwalk1.7 mi away
- Hilton Garden Inn San Antonio Downtown Riverwalk1.7 mi away · 408 East Houston Street, San Antonio, TX
Places data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Hours and details change — call ahead.
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Related people
- · Otto Koehler
- · Maury Maverick
- · Atlee B. Ayres
- · J. Riely Gordon
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Roy and Madge Hearne House
San Antonio, TX
When the railroad reached San Antonio in 1877, new neighborhoods rose on the high ground near San Pedro Springs. Here, cotton broker Roy Hearne and his wife Madge — a granddaughter of Sam Houston — built a home in the 1910s, hiring architect Atlee B. Ayres and contractor Eugene Davis. Its eclectic blend of prairie, craftsman, mission, and neoclassical styles, from granite and green tile roof to original mosaic floors, reflects the confident taste of the railroad-era city.
Otto Koehler House
San Antonio, TX
Built in 1901 for German immigrant Otto Koehler, president of the Pearl Brewing Company, this was among the first homes in its San Antonio neighborhood. Local architect Carl Von Seutter designed it as one of the city's most spectacular examples of turn-of-the-century Eclecticism, with builder Jaco Wagner and landscape designer G. A. Schattenberg shaping the grounds. The house survives with its outbuildings and landscaping intact.
Jay Adams House
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Developer Jay E. Adams arrived in San Antonio from Denver in 1888 to invest in real estate, and he set out to develop an upscale district north of the city that he named Laurel Heights. To set the tone for the neighborhood, he built this elaborate three-story Queen Anne house of rusticated limestone and wood, crowned with a rounded corner tower and adorned with stained glass, carved stone, and griffins flanking the entry. A matching brick-and-stone carriage house completed the showpiece.
L. B. Clegg House
San Antonio, TX
Luther Bynum Clegg, a North Carolina native who founded the San Antonio Printing Company, commissioned noted architect Harvey Page to design this house in 1901-02. Page, who called it one of his most interesting works, is believed to have remodeled the residence after Roy Bitel bought it in 1925. The home later passed to Josephine Haltom Henning in 1937.