Architecture West of the Alamo, San Antonio, TX Photos

San Antonio's heritage downtown parallels Commerce & Houston Streets west of Alamo Square & Riverwalk to the Mercado. The area includes Main & Military Plazas, the historic Spanish Governor's Palace & heritage buildings.

See also: San Antonio, Heritage Architecture at Alamo Square, Crafts & Markets, King William Historic District
Click photo to enlarge.
Clifford Building (1893) (423-31 Commerce).
Architect: James Riely Gordon.

Staacke Bros & Stevens buildings.
Architect: James Riely Gordon.

Stevens building (1891) (315 Commerce) detail.
Architect: James Riely Gordon. On National Register.

Stevens building housed a University club.

Staacke Bros building (1894) (317 Commerce) detail. Architect: James Riely Gordon. On National Register.

Staacke Bros building housed a carriage business.

Old Alamo National Bank building now the Vault (1902) (316 Commerce).
Style: Renaissance Revival. Architect: James Wahrenberger, Coughlin & Atlee B. Ayres. On National Register.

Nix Professional Building (1931) (408-414 Navarro Street) 23 floors was tallest hospital in USA when built.
Architect: Henry T. Phelps.

Old San Antonio National Bank (1866) (239 Commerce).
Style: Moorish. Architect: Cyrus L.W. Eidlitz.

Old San Antonio National Bank detail.

Tower Life Building (aka Smith Young Tower) (1929) (310 South Saint Mary's St.) 30 floors.
Architect: Atlee B. Ayres & Robert Ayres. On National Register.

Tower Life Building facade.

Tower Life Building gargoyles.

Tower Life Building portal.

San Fernando Cathedral facade (1868-73) by François Girard on Main Plaza de Las Islas.
On National Register.

San Fernando Cathedral baroque original interior (1749).

San Fernando Cathedral stained glass windows of Sts. Michael & Raphael.

San Fernando Cathedral tomb of Texas heroes Travis, Crockett & Bowie.

Bexer County Courthouse (1892) (20 Dolorosa St. on Main Plaza de Las Islas).
Style: Richardsonian Romanesque. Architect: James Riely Gordon. On National Register.

Bexer County Courthouse lamp detail.

Bexer County Courthouse balconies.

City hall (1891) on Military Plaza.
Style: Second Empire. Architect: Otto Kramer.

Spanish Governor's Palace (1749) on Military Plaza.
On National Register.

Spanish Governor's Palace detail of door carving.

Adobe house (c1835) in Casa Navarro State Historic Park, one of a group of adobe buildings (228 S. Laredo St.).

O'Henry adobe house (1855), where author William Sidney Porter published his Rolling Stone weekly humor newspaper in 1895-6 in Casa Navarro State Historic Park.

Milam Building (1928) (115 E. Travis) 21 floors plus Weston Centre behind.
Architect: George Willis.

Weston Centre (1989) (112 East Pecan St.) 30 floors with square frame on crown.
Architect: Cambridge Seven Assoc.

Bank of America Plaza (1983) (300 Convent St.) 28 floors with diagonal change of surface.

Alamo National Building (1929) (105 South Saint Mary's Street) 24 floors & Bank of America Plaza.

Bank of America Plaza facade.

Old Texas Theater facade incorporated as entrance to modern SBC building (175 East Houston).

Texas Theater (1926) terra-cotta tile work details.
Architect: Bowler Brothers.

Detail of Hotel Valencia Riverwalk (2002) (146 East Houston) 13 floors.
Architect: 3D/International.

Balconies of Hotel Valencia Riverwalk.

Majestic Theater (1929) (214 East Houston). Style: Spanish Colonial & Mission. Architect: John Eberson. On National Register.

Majestic Theater box office.
On National Register.

Frost Brothers building (217 East Houston).

Metalwork detail of Frost Brothers building.

Carved capitol detail with Mayan motifs of Frost Brothers building.

Window panel detail of Frost Brothers building.

Buckhorn Bar & Museum with buffalo & longhorn heads on exterior (318 East Houston).

All photos on this page are originals by & copyrighted by Jim Steinhart.
All rights reserved. Permission required to use.