2023 Spring Issue Vistas

of MV homes submitted to the National Register of Historic Places in

Photos

CONTACT US

Monte Vista Historical Association

P.O. Box 12386

San Antonio, TX 78212 210-737-8212

Visit us at our website montevistasa.org

E-mail mail@montevista-sa.org

City of San Antonio Customer Service (7 am to 11 pm, 7 days a week) Dial 311

Councilperson Mario Bravo

City Council District 1

Contact person: Anisa Schell Field Office 210-207-8253

Email anisa.schell@sanantonio.gov

SAPD SAFFE Officer

Jesse Armendariz 210-207-7413

Email Jesse.Armendariz@sanantonio.gov

MISSION STATEMENT

“To encourage the preservation of the distinctive heritage of the Monte Vista area; to keep the physical identity of this late nineteenth-early twentieth century district intact; and to educate the public, especially the youth, with knowledge of our inherited neighborhood values which contribute to a wholesome urban environment.”

Good Morning Monte Vista!

I compose this letter as my first serving as President of Monte Vista Historic Association for 2023. This is a special year that I am honored to be a part of as we are celebrating 50 years as an Historic Association. Our founders did the incredible work of organizing and forming the largest geographical Historic Association in Texas in the year of 1973. We are fortunate to still have many of those founding members with us to share their experiences and recollections of the times in which they felt the need to become activists in preserving our unique community. Molly Denman Branton, Virginia and Gus Van Steenberg, Angela and Al Notzon to name just a few. These generous people took the opportunity to share their memories at out recent “I Love Monte Vista” gathering at the home of Henry Munoz on West Kings Highway. This gathering was the first of this monumental year and a chance for the community to come together again and celebrate after a period in which we had not seen many of our neighbors for sometime.

MONTE VISTA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION

2023 OFFICERS

President

Lynn Boyd

President-Elect

Chris Scruggs

Past President

Toni Van Buren

Treasurer

Amanda Holmes

Corresponding

Secretary

Mary Allen-Martin

BOARD MEMBERS

Art Campsey

David Smith

Judy Warren

Kathy Kennedy

Kristin Kellum

Mallory Baird

Contributors

Lynn Boyd

Robin Teague

Mickey Amacker

Rosanne White

Lydia McAfee

Images

David Smith

Roseanne White

Lydia McAfee

For Advertising Info: mail@montevista-sa.org

Vistas is the newsletter of the Monte Vista Historical Association

There is an infectious synergy in our organization this year that we will all benefit from. Many of our former members have stepped up to help celebrate this momentous year and the plans to get all of us up and involved are at hand. We will have programming for most every month this year that will be of interest to all of our residents! Our annual Easter egg hunt at Landa Library, the Fourth of July Parade, and a very special Golden Jubilee in October will be on the calendar. Third Thursdays will be extra special with our April Fiesta event being held on the roof of The Bushnell, walking tours of our neighborhood, and a collaboration with Trinity University for two seminars. Lastly, we have expanded the distribution of our quarterly newsletter Vistas to reach over 1400 households in the area and we have our weekly Monday Mail as vehicles to keep our neighbors informed on important issues impacting San Antonio and our neighborhood in general.

We have embarked on a refresh of our Monte Vista Historic Association space in the annex at Landa Library. We are asking for donations of any size to help us transform this space into a community asset that we can use and enjoy for our board meetings, committee meetings, and community needs to benefit Monte Vista.

We welcome everyone’s participation in this special year and ask you to check our website for details, renew your memberships, and get involved in the fabric of our unique neighborhood.

With Gratitude, Lynn Boyd, III

Monte Vista Historic Association President, 2023

Michele Giddens

Oliver Noteware

Peter Hugill

Rick Wilson

Robin Teague

Sally Bullock

Ann Van Pelt

Tom Archer

Fred Suchy

Tony Garcia

ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS

Ryan Reed

Melody Hull

Trudy Kinnison

OFFICE ADMIN

Lydia McAfee

Interested in being a part of the 2023 MVHA Board? Call 210-737-8212 or email mail@montevista-sa.org for more information.

It’s been almost 30 years since our office at Landa Library has been updated. We are in need of new paint, flooring and updated technology. We are more than 3/4 of the way to our goal of $10,000!

Thanks to the neighbors that have already given!

Kim Cauthorn

Brad Parman & Tim Seeliger

Claudia Smith

Ryan Reed

Lynn Boyd

Ann Van Pelt

Steve Markey

Amanda Holmes

Albert Ochoa

Karen Lee Zachry

David Dickie

Thomas Karam

Rick Wilson

Mary Allen-Martin

William Varney

Charles Gonzalez

Pat Maloney

Jeanette Clark

Toni Van Buren

Janet Molak

Amy Phipps

Let’s keep the momentum going! For those who have not yet participated, please consider giving with any amount that is comfortable. All donations no matter the size will allow us to reach our goal and ultimately provide a space that meets the needs of our association for years to come.

Donations can be made by cash/check mailed to PO Box 12386, San Antonio, TX 78212 or through www.montevistasa.org/support.

Before Photo of Office front room.

Painting began February 15th by Paper Moon Painting.

Summit Mystery Gates Solved

By Mickey Amacker with Rosanne White

(Editor’s note: Mickey Amacker, our local amateur sleuth and historian, has been puzzled by the mystery of the disappearing Summit Place Gate for at least 6 years. Here he reveals how he finally sussed out the gate’s current location.)

In the Spring 2017 issue of Vistas, I wrote the article “MV Mystery Stones,” which addressed the entrance Gates or columns into Summit Place.

In 1908, Developer Ed Ross acquired property that would eventually include Summit Ave and Kings Highway between Howard and McCullough, and also a portion of Agarita Ave. At that time, this was the northern limits of the area that is now Monte Vista. This development was to be the most elite of estates in San Antonio, and would be called Summit Place.

Three grand stone entrance gates were erected to define the area. (None of the gates actually opened or closed.) The main gate was erected across Howard Street where it intersects Summit. (At the time, this corner was the end of the trolley line.) The gate had an arch announcing “Summit Place” with decorative metal brought from New York. The illustration here is from Don Everett’s book: San Antonio’s Monte Vista, showing the main gate. The columns were of red Pecos sandstone with extensive architectural design. The homes in these boundaries were to be the finest in the city.

Two further gates were both

on Kings Highway: one at San Pedro Ave and one at McCullough. Neither of these gates had arches; they were elaborate red sandstone pillars. Today we still have the remains of the gate on Kings Highway at McCullough, which was refurbished in the year 2000.

We know the gate on Kings Highway at San Pedro was taken down early, as it became a traffic hazard when San Pedro became a major thoroughfare.

Hardly any pictures or documentation of the gates exist that we can locate. However, at a Monte Vista home, I spotted an

almost hidden picture that was a print of a postcard of the original gate at Kings Highway and McCullough. We have used this picture in some of our publications. In the archives at the San Antonio Library Texana Room, I located a page in the San Antonio Light showcasing the gates in Monte Vista. It included the Gramercy gates, which are from 1929. However, the paper I found had no date on it. With help from the librarian, we discovered that the flip side of that page had an article of a person who had given a speech. Research on the internet

Postcard of the gates at Summit Place. Courtesy of Ron Soele & Jose Rodriguez.

Photo of the gates today at Breckenridge Park. Courtesy of Rosanne White.

showed that the speech was given on January 31, 1940. I went to the microfilm of The Light and found the edition from February 1, 1940, and there was the photo of our Summit Place gates! What a find! With that, we knew that our main Summit Place gate was still in place in 1940. This is the last evidence I’ve been able to locate. No one alive remembers ever seeing that gate.

So the question of what happened to our main gate, when and why was it removed, has remained a mystery. I’m sure as years went by, the gate was considered gaudy and out of place. Surely the arch was rusty. There was no one to take care of it, since it was put there by a developer, not by the City.

Then one day, several years ago, I was walking on St Mary’s Street, near Brackenridge Park, just past

the Sunken Garden, before the zoo, and I was startled to see gates that I had never noticed: Pecos red sandstone pillars on either side of the road! I thought they looked exactly like our missing Summit Place gate. Photo here shows the gates as they are today.

I went back and found all the old pictures that I had gathered of our Summit Place gate and compared the old pictures to the pillars at Brackenridge Park. They were identical to our missing gate. The configuration of the stones with elaborate curve design was the same, and the grill was the same. The plaque, that used to read “Summit Place,” now announced “Otto Koehler Park.”

Next I tried to find out when this gate was erected. This section of the park was established in 1915 as a gift from Emma Koehler (the

Emma of Hotel Emma at the Pearl.) If the gates were installed at any time around this period, I knew they were not ours. So I had to find out when they were installed. I checked around and nobody could tell me, including park officials. So I figured that we would never have any proof -- maybe they were just copies, although this seemed very unlikely.

Now, in December 2022, book author and historian Lewis Fisher published his new book Brackenridge, a history of the park. His research and expertise far outshines anything I could accomplish.

I was ecstatic to see that he pictured the park gate, and he states that in her later years, Emma Koehler (then 83 years old) insisted

Stories shared at I Love Monte Vista Party

Henry R. Muñoz, III

Event Host at his home on 235 W. Kings Hwy

“I believe in the importance of stories and places that have stories and this place has a lot to tell.

There are some things that are not in the history books about San Antonio. As late as the 1950s, if your name was Munoz or Gallegos or Vargas or Ramirez, you couldn’t live in some of the neighborhoods around San Antonio. I’m not sure what Colonel Combs had in mind when he had this house designed but the progress in this house and the way that it mirrors the progress of the City is pretty fantastic. Back when San Antonio was still segregated, Jose Centeno purchased this house. He started a grocery store with his wife out of the back room of their house on the west side of town and soon built stores all over town. He was one of the first truly successful Latino business people in San Antonio. He bought several houses and vacant lots on Mulberry as well. He convinced all of his friends who were doctors and Henry B Gonzalez, the Congressman, to buy the house across the street. And so, he helped integrate Monte Vista. The wonderful thing about this neighborhood is that it always accepted the city the way that it is today.

I’ve been a part of the extended family of this house going back almost 80 years. I used to crawl up that fire escape in this house. The family decided that when Mr. Centeno passed that I would be the one to take

Virginia

& Gus Van Steenberg Founders of the MVHA

“It is one thing is to say that you’ve established a neighborhood and saved it and the other is to say you’ve created an organization of friends who have remained friends for 50 years. It’s just incredible to see so many of our friends who have been here all this time that were a part of the original dedication of the neighborhood.

Well, in addition to that, though it was a lot, the feelings and the reputations and everything of the people that were here. There were many people who had a background where they could contribute something really significant to what we were trying to do because if we were going to preserve it, we needed that. We were only the second residential historic

care of this house during this period of time. I fell in love with this house and I’ve tried to take care of her. She is about 100 years old and she’s seen wonderful things. There have been Governors and more than one country’s President here. The artwork in this house tells the story of a magnificent period of art in San Antonio. Linda Pace helped me pick this art. She told me I needed to paint my dining room red. You never know what will happen in a great house like this that accepts these special gatherings. I know she looks pretty good for 100. She’s pink because Lily Centeno loved pink and she decided that this house should be pink. It’s really a joy for everyone to be here and fill her with life.”

district in San Antonio, the only other being King William.

We’re the fourth owners of our house so we feel

Photos by Mark McClendon.

comfortable with its history and it is one of the I think treasures of having an old home, a well built old home, is that it lasts if you take care of it. We found our house in 1964 and waited seven years for it to come on the market. We looked all over the city and couldn’t find a house that compared to what we wanted and moved here in 1971.

Once we moved in, we realized what the problems in the area were occuring. A lot of the big houses were becoming rooming houses and they were destroying them entirely or changing things, especially on the south part of our area. And so we decided we needed to do something to save the old homes because we loved them. All kinds of old houses, small, big. We helped to revitalize the downtown area. The downtown area was slowly deteriorating and becoming abandoned.

Al & Angela Notzon

Charter members of the MVHA

“We moved into Monte Vista in 1965. And we bought a house on Rosewood. My first memory of getting together with neighbors is probably the July 4th parade and picnic. And there were six families that came together. It was a great celebration and it became a constant in Monte Vista that we were going to have the Fourth of July Parade.

We were seeing the loss of houses, particularly on the periphery, where a lot of the residential houses were being converted to commercial. Houses were being torn down. So, [a handful of residents] were all part of this process that said we need to get together. The first meeting was held at the Brantons’ house, but the first organizational meeting was held at the Chapman Center at Trinity University and it was a good crowd. Quite a few people came out. We didn’t know, at that stage, whether we’d get designation as a historic district or how we could preserve the neighborhood stock. We were seeing what was happening in the neighborhoods, particularly closer to downtown, where they were being converted basically to strictly commercial strips and beautiful homes, particularly, were being destroyed. What happened was the elderly center on the corner of San Pedro and Ashby. What I did was I got all the neighbors together from that area and said, ‘How are you being impacted?’ They came to the Board and made a presentation. We were able to compromise and get what the nursing home wanted and also what the neighbors wanted. And I think that set the stage for

It was a great deal of work to get the approval of the 1600 families involved. Virginia led the charge but the process was accomplished by so many people. Everyone wanted it to happen. And realized what a great area this is, so convenient to everything. The cooperation was outstanding and the results were even more outstanding.

When we were formed, we had difficulty keeping the boundaries the way we set them because north of Hildebrand wanted to join, west of San Pedro wanted to join, south and southeast because they could see the benefits. But we felt we had some very good boundaries to work with so we stayed with what they are today. Those areas around us seemed to appreciate what we’ve done.”

what you always want to be as an association asking how would you feel if it was your house and something was happening next to it. Now, it doesn’t always work because somebody will say, well, I’m going to be unreasonable. But you have to have a big enough thing where it’s a part of your process.

It’s wonderful to be in the Association. It’s wonderful to be in the neighborhood and the fact that we can still have the neighborhood and have our friends and the kinds of relationships we have. I think this party today is a good example of the power of the Association when we get together as neighbors.”

Thank you to... Trinity sophomore Angelina D’Elia and Katharine Martin for the recordings of the Van Steenbergs & Notzons. Gary Cooper for the Muñoz Recording. And Lynn Boyd for conducting the interviews.

Photos from I Love Monte Vista Party

We had a great turnout for our Annual I Love Monte Vista Party with over 200 guests on Feb 12 at the home of Henry R. Munoz, III. We raised over $5,000 for the organization. Special thanks to Judy Warren, Kathy Kennedy, Trudy Kinnison and our many volunteers!

Photos by Mark McClendon.

GATES

that the City build two gates on each side of the section known as Koehler Park, to distinguish it from Brackenridge Park. She further insisted that they should be built with no expense to her. This was in 1940. Just within the time frame that our Summit Place gate disappeared.

I wondered why the City would build such an elaborate gate, which was not part of the original design. And why no second gate was ever built Mr. Fisher states in his book that the setting of the gate has little context, leaving visitors to wonder what they are entering or exiting and what happened to Brackenridge Park, which they thought they were in.

To conclude, unless anyone can prove me wrong, I rest my case. I

have no doubt now that this is a piece of our Monte Vista History. A plaque should be placed on the gate stating that the pillars are part

of a larger, ornate gate that was originally built in 1908, positioned at Summit and Howard to announce the entrance to Summit Place in Monte Vista . Thus would give them more meaning than they have now.

Close up of the Postcard of the gates at Summit Place. Courtesy of Ron Soele & Jose Rodriguez.

Close up of the gate taken in 2022. Courtesy of Roseanne White.

Upcoming Events

Historic Walking Tour March 12

March Third Thursday March 16 22 Ledge Lane

Easter Egg Hunt April 8 Landa Library

April Third Thursday April 20 Bushnell Rooftop

May Third Thursday May 18 Landa Gardens

Historic Walking Tour May 27

Board Meetings, every second Tuesday of the Month @ 6pm

MVHA Office at Landa Library & over Zoom

Architectural Review Committee, every first Monday of the month @ 6pm

MVHA Office at Landa Library

Purchase at www.montevistasa.org or by mailing a check/ cash to PO Box 12386, San Antonio, TX 78212. Please include your delivery address.

April8th

Easter

EGG HUNT

The Annual Monte Vista Easter Egg Hunt is back in-person this year!

to Monte Vista Residents & the surrounding neighborhoods

Sign up for our Monte Vista Monday Newsletter! Email mail@montevista-sa.org or visit the home page of our website to sign up. Show your love of Monte Vista with a 50th Anniversary yard sign!

We just placed our order for the 2023 Monte Vista medals! Expected delivery is early April, stay tuned on where you can get yours!

Located on the grounds of the Landa Library Hunt begins promptly at 10am Light refreshments provided after Open

Quarterly Monte Vista Block Captain Report

Call 3-1-1 !!

From one of our neighbors, who lives on E. Summit Ave.:

I was wondering if you can help me with a traffic issue we have on E. Summit Ave. Cars speed down the road making it unsafe for pedestrians and children. ... We thought our petition would be stronger if we had the backing of the historical association. Do you know who might be able to help?

And this message from another neighbor, who lives on E. Mulberry Ave.:

I for one did not realize what a superhighway Mulberry was when we bought our house. It wouldn’t have stopped me since we loved the house, but it is a constant annoyance.

What did I do? What I usually do when I need help solving a problem like this: I forwarded the messages to Anisa Schell, who is the problem solver in District 1 of City Council. What did Anisa say?

We can help get this process started. The first thing that you will need to do is have your neighbors sign the attached Traffic Calming Request. You will need the signatures of at least 2/3 of the property owners on the block.

I would like to ask if you [and your neighbors] all will individually call 311 to report your concerns, even if you’ve done so before in the past, and even if you’ve already shared them with our office. This will assist me as I follow up with Public Works. Public Works will look at the number of requests they’ve received for an area when evaluating the need for traffic calming. Public Works will refer to 311 calls to verify the issues our office brings to them. If you are able to share the case numbers with me, that is helpful but not necessary.

The language on the [Traffic Calming Request] form is standard, just acknowledging that a study may

result in traffic mitigation. While removal of on-street parking is listed on the form, I do not think it is a likely recommendation on Mulberry. Usually, I see Public Works recommending more straightforward solutions such as speed humps. If they complete the study and determine that speed humps (or other calming measures) are recommended, they will work with the residents on their placement before installation. They typically will reach out to the directly adjacent property owners to gain their consent before placing humps in front of a house.

Call 311? I know to call 311 when a neighbor dumps trash in the alley. What does a 311 call have to do with speeding or reckless driving? 311 calls, as indicated by Anisa, are the way the City/Public Works Dept. collects evidence supporting a request for traffic calming.

What then should you say when you call 311?

311 operator: Hello, this is 311. How can I help you?

You (Here is an example): Good morning. I am calling to complain about speeding in front of my home, at __ Mulberry Ave., east of Belknap Place [street location]. This morning at 8:00 [day/time], I saw a white Chevrolet [description] speeding [the problem] through the intersection, going east [direction]. I request stop signs at Mulberry and Belknap, reduced speed signs, and speed bumps in 3 rows [requested solutions to the problem] between Belknap and US 281. Thank you. What is the case number? My name, address, telephone number are __.

Then notify Anisa of the case number. Anisa Schell District 1 (Anisa.Schell@sanantonio.gov) Helpful, too, would be a request by the Association. So keep me informed. Robin Teague (teaguecr@sbcglobal.net)

What are we going to ask when you call about one of these problems? “Have you called 311?” Neither Anisa nor I can guarantee you will receive the requested solution, but we can guarantee you won’t if you don’t try.-Robin Teague

Advertising Available for Monte Vista Directory

We are working on a new Directory for Monte Vista! The Directory is printed and mailed out to over 500+ members of the Monte Vista Historical Association every few years. Advertisements available include Full Page Ad ($450) or a 1/3 Page Ad ($150). In addition, all buisness members are listed if you would like to sign up for a Business Membership. If you are interested in reserving a space, please email mail@montevista-sa.org by March 17.

CALENDAR

Architectural Review Committee

Send questions or requests for assistance to mail@montevista-sa.org. Consultation is online and by phone.

MVHA Board Meetings

In person and Zoom Meeting 2nd Tuesday of the month. 6:00 p.m. Contact Lynn Boyd, President, to put an item on the agenda. Leave a message at 210-737-8212 or mail@montevista-sa.org.

2023 Membership Form

is valid for 365 days from date of payment. Questions? Call 210-737-8212 or Email mail@montevista-sa.org Website: www.montevistasa.org

mail check payable to the Monte Vista