The Heart of Bexar County

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housed a wooden scaffold used as the gallows. In 1911, two stories were added along with Spanish style Bell Towers. The last hanging occurred in 1923 when the state took over executions using an electric chair. In 1926 it was expanded to five floors. The building still stands today and has been converted into a hotel. Casa Reales, the Bat Cave, the French building, and the Masonic building have all been lost to time. The only remaining partial structure left is the original south wall of Casa Reales that now stands as part of a building on the southeast side of the plaza. In the place of these former seats of local government, the City of San Antonio built a new city hall in 1885 and the County built a new courthouse in 1892. These two historic buildings are still standing near the plaza and have been in continuous use ever since. Bryan Callaghan Jr., who was elected mayor in 1885, was a shrewd politician. He created a political machine that demanded loyalty to him and enabled him to build city hall, expand city services, modernize the police and fire departments and build a major sewer system. Constructed in 1885, the three-story City Hall is located on Flores Street, just one block west of Main Plaza. This site is where the Spaniards in 1718 built the presidio when they first settled in San Antonio. San Pedro Creek flows on the back side of City Hall. City Hall was a small, renaissance revival jewel of a building with an ornate octagonal tower and dome with a clock centered on top of the roof. Alternating round and square turreted towers were constructed on the four corners of the building. q Above: Cornerstone for the Bexar County Courthouse. Below: City Hall, 1892. C h a p t e r I F 1 1
q Architect’s Drawing of the Bexar County Courthouse. In the 1920s city officials did significant damage to the 1885 renaissance revival City Hall. They removed the tower and octagonal dome and four turrets tower that set atop City Hall. They then added a non-descript fourth floor. In 1891, the County decided to build a new courthouse because they had gained substantial new responsibilities and authority under the 1876 state constitution and needed more space. The state constitution charged the county with building a courthouse, maintaining roads and bridges, administering public welfare programs, coordinating elections, setting a tax rate, issuing bonds, and adopting a county budget. A 5- member Commissioners Court was charged with managing and setting policy for the county. With its new responsibilities it was clear that a new courthouse was needed. The Commissioners Court purchased land on the south side of Main Plaza from Joseph Dwyer and John Kampmann. Architect J. Riley Gordon and D. E. Laub were chosen by the Court to design the Courthouse. The groundbreaking was held on August 4, 1891. County Judge Samuel W. McAllister, laid the cornerstone on December 17, 1892. Samuel is the grandfather of Walter W. McAllister who served as mayor from 1961 to 1971. In the same year that the corner stone was laid, Callaghan resigned as mayor and successfully ran for county judge. For the next five years from 1892 to 1897 he oversaw the construction of the four-story Romanesque 1 2 F T H E H E A R T O F B E X A R C O U N T Y
Page 1 and 2: THE HEART OF BEXAR COUNTY RESTORATI
Page 3 and 4: First Edition Copyright © 2020 HPN
Page 5 and 6: CONTENTS FOREWORD .................
Page 7 and 8: q Architectural drawing of the Cour
Page 9 and 10: I E V O L U T I O N O F C I T Y H A
Page 11: q Above: Bottom, right: The Masonic
Page 15 and 16: II R E S T O R A T I O N O F C I T
Page 17 and 18: q San Antonio City Council Chamber.
Page 19 and 20: III T H E D E C L I N E O F T H E C
Page 21 and 22: 2 0 F T H E H E A R T O F B E X A R
Page 23 and 24: Both designs were ill conceived, mi
Page 29 and 30: q Bexar County Courthouse. submitte
Page 31 and 32: VI T H E C H I L D R E N ’ S C O
Page 33 and 34: q Above: Children’s court Judge R
Page 35 and 36: VII T H E F I R S T R E S T O R E D
Page 37 and 38: q Before and after restoration of t
Page 39 and 40: In 1996 Father David Garcia, belove
Page 41 and 42: IX L A D Y J U S T I C E by Tracy W
Page 43 and 44: q Top, left: The Lady Justice fount
Page 45 and 46: q Right: Lady Justice during the un
Page 47 and 48: q Above and below: Construction of
Page 49 and 50: With that picture of the original c
Page 51 and 52: q Above: June 17, 2018, King Felipe
Page 53 and 54: q Above: Removal of the Gondeck add
Page 55 and 56: q Bexar County Courthouse after the
Page 57 and 58: XII T H E B E X A R C O U N T Y A R
Page 59 and 60: q Above: Texas A&M-San Antonio Arch
Page 61 and 62: XIII T H E B E X A R H E R I T A G
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q Exhibits from the Bexar County He
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q Right: Northside view of the Bexa
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ABOUT THE AUTHORS C O U N T Y N E L
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APPENDIX A A R C H I T E C T S & C
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APPENDIX C A R C H I T E C T S & C
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APPENDIX D B E X A R C O U N T Y O
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7 4 F T H E H E A R T O F B E X A R
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JTM CONSULTING, LLC Drawing on a lo
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G BRACEWELL, LLP From top to bottom
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NICHOLAS & BARRERA, P.C. For nearly
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DAVIS, CEDILLO & MENDOZA, INC. G To
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LINEBARGER GOGGAN BLAIR & SAMPSON,
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LAW OFFICES OF SERNA & SERNA Growin
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G ESCAMILLA & PONECK, LLP Above: Pa
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WATTS GUERRA, LLP G Left: Mikal C.
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GUNN, LEE & CAVE, P.C. G Left: Ted
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THOMAS J. HENRY LAW Thomas J. Henry
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$34.95 978-1-944891-70-1 Ë|xHSLJOE
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The Heart of Bexar County

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