HistoricSiteMarkers
Progressive & Modern Era

Old S. J. Brooks Home

San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas

Marker Inscription

Built about 1890, this stately late Victorian house combines various influences and styles. The architect was M. T. Eckles, and builder was T. R. Hertzberg, a local businessman. In 1909 Judge Sidney J. Brooks, noted lawyer and first judge of 57th District Court, bought this house. His son Sidney, Jr., (1895-1917), was one of the first U.S. cadets killed training for World War I duty. Brooks Air Force Base was named for him. (1969)

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

Built about 1890 by builder T.R. Hertzberg to a design by architect M.T. Eckles, this late Victorian house was purchased in 1909 by Judge Sidney J. Brooks, first judge of the 57th District Court. His son, Sidney Brooks Jr., became one of the first U.S. cadets killed while training for World War I aviation duty in 1917. San Antonio's Brooks Air Force Base was named in the young flier's honor.

Why it matters

The home ties a prominent Texas legal family to the dawn of American military aviation and the sacrifices of the first generation trained to fly into war.

Plan your visit

Nearby

Make a day of it — museums, food, and places to stay near this marker.

Museums & culture

Attractions

Food & drink

Places to stay

Places data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Hours and details change — call ahead.

Own a business near here? Add it to the map.

Related people

  • · Judge Sidney J. Brooks
  • · Sidney J. Brooks Jr.
  • · M.T. Eckles
  • · T.R. Hertzberg

Related events

  • · World War I

Themes & tags

World War IInnovation & FlightHome

Nearby & related markers

Central Christian Church

San Antonio, TX

Evangelist David Pennington organized this Disciples of Christ congregation in 1883 and built its first sanctuary here in 1884, just as the arrival of the railroad set San Antonio booming. The church grew with the city, helped found the Mexican Christian Institute to minister to refugees fleeing Mexico's revolution, and organized a Spanish-speaking Disciples congregation. A pioneer of religious broadcasting, it aired the city's first radio worship in 1924 and its first televised services in 1954.

ImmigrationInnovation & Flight

Kelly Air Force Base

San Antonio, TX

When Major Benjamin Foulois scouted farmland south of San Antonio in 1917, he found the site that became Kelly Field, opened the day before the U.S. declared war on Germany. Named for the first military pilot killed in a crash, it trained aviators and mechanics for two world wars and taught fliers including Charles Lindbergh and Curtis LeMay. Through the Korean War, the Cold War, and Desert Storm it grew into San Antonio's largest employer before realigning in 2001.

Military & WartimeInnovation & Flight

Stinson Airport

San Antonio, TX

Founded by the remarkable Stinson family, this field has seen aviation grow from barnstormers to jets. Katherine Stinson learned to fly in 1912 to fund her music studies and became the fourth licensed woman pilot in the U.S.; she and sister Marjorie soon trained American and Canadian military fliers here. The family leased this land in 1916, and the field served as a civil airport, a WPA-improved terminal, and an Army Air Corps training base through two world wars — Charles Lindbergh himself flew out of it.

Innovation & FlightWomen's History

Edward H. White II Memorial Hangar, Brooks Air Force Base

San Antonio, TX

San Antonio was a cradle of American military aviation, and this hangar at Brooks Air Force Base honors astronaut Lt. Col. Edward H. White II, the first American to walk in space, tethered to his Gemini craft in June 1965. White died in the January 1967 Apollo launch-pad fire while training for the first Moon flight; his own father had learned to fly at nearby Hangar 9, as did Charles Lindbergh. That standard WWI-era hangar once sheltered Curtiss JN-4 "Jenny" trainers, linking the pioneers of powered flight to the astronauts who followed.

Innovation & Flight