Sartor House
San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Designed by prominent San Antonio architect Alfred Giles, this home was built in 1881 for Alexander Sartor, Jr. A native of Germany, Sartor came to San Antonio in the mid-nineteenth century and established a jeweery business. After he sold the house in 1909, it was used for a variety of purposed, including a medical office and a literary studio. Outstanding features of the home include its wide front porch with Italinate detailing.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This 1881 home was designed by Alfred Giles, one of San Antonio's most prominent architects, for Alexander Sartor, Jr., a German immigrant who came to the city around mid-century and built up a jewelry business. After Sartor sold the house in 1909 it served in turn as a medical office and a literary studio, keeping its wide front porch and Italianate detailing throughout.
Why it matters
It reflects the German immigrant merchants who helped build nineteenth-century San Antonio and the refined architecture of Alfred Giles that gave the city much of its character.
Plan your visit
NearbyMake a day of it — museums, food, and places to stay near this marker.
Museums & culture
- San Antonio Art League Museumnearby · TX
- Villa Finale Visitor Center0.1 mi away
- Texas Highway Patrol Museum0.2 mi away · TX
- Villa Finale0.2 mi away
- Robert Hughes Gallery0.2 mi away
- Steves Homestead Museum0.3 mi away
Attractions
- Yanaguana Garden0.4 mi away
- La Villita0.4 mi away
- River boat boarding0.5 mi away
- Tower of the Americas0.5 mi away · 739 East César E. Chávez Boulevard, San Antonio, TX
- Casa Navarro State Historical Site0.6 mi away
- River boat boarding0.6 mi away
Food & drink
- McDonald's0.6 mi away · 101 Alamo Plaza, San Antonio, TX
- Chipotle0.6 mi away · 849 East Commerce Street, San Antonio, TX
- The Original Mexican Restaurant0.6 mi away
- Cafe Ole0.6 mi away
- Agave Bar0.6 mi away
- Lone Star Cafe0.6 mi away
Places to stay
- Hotel Contessa0.5 mi away · 306 West Market Street
- Hilton Palacio del Rio0.5 mi away
- The Monarch San Antonio0.5 mi away
- The Westin Riverwalk, San Antonio0.5 mi away · 420 West Market Street, San Antonio
- Mokara Hotel and Spa0.6 mi away · 212 West Crockett Street, San Antonio, TX
- Grand Hyatt San Antonio0.6 mi away · 600 East Market Street, San Antonio, TX
Places data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Hours and details change — call ahead.
Own a business near here? Add it to the map.
Related people
- · Alfred Giles
- · Alexander Sartor, Jr.
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Guenther's Upper Mill, Site of
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German-trained millwright Carl H. Guenther founded his San Antonio milling operation in 1859 and, in 1868, built this second dam and mill upstream at a spot closer to town. The upper mill served as an outlet for both of his plants before the family consolidated at the downstream Pioneer Flour Mills around 1900. The vacated building later housed a macaroni factory, an ice cream company, and a garage before being razed in 1926.
Charles F.A. and Emilie Hummel House
San Antonio, TX
In the decades after the Civil War, San Antonio's prosperous German community left a lasting mark on the city's streets and skyline. Charles F.A. Hummel, orphaned young and raised in the family gun-and-ammunition trade, rose to serve as city treasurer and auditor while remaining a pillar of that German world. In 1884 he and his wife Emilie commissioned architects Wahrenberger and Beckmann to build this ornate two-story limestone house, its Italianate pavilion, full-height gallery, and carved quoins announcing a family that had arrived.
Alfred Giles Home
San Antonio, TX
Alfred Giles, born in England in 1853, trained as an architect's apprentice in London before moving to Texas for his health in 1873. Settling in San Antonio, he opened his own firm in 1876 and designed grand residences for the city's leading families along King William Street. In 1883 he built two modest homes at 306 and 308 King William, living in the latter and later giving it, remodeled, to his daughter as a wedding gift.
Carl Wilhelm August Groos House
San Antonio, TX
Carl Wilhelm August Groos left Germany for Texas in 1848 and became a founder of the Groos National Bank in San Antonio. In 1880 he built this limestone Victorian home, designed by the noted architect Alfred Giles, where his descendants lived until 1948. The San Antonio Girl Scouts acquired the house in 1957.