King William Historic District

If there's a preferred address in San Antonio, it's most likely in the King William Historic District. Just a stone's throw south of the River Walk, this neighborhood boasts elegant homes, stately shade trees, and an atmosphere of grace and gentility.

Its status as a superior neighborhood goes back to the mid-1800s, when this district was populated by the Alamo City's most successful businessmen and their families. Many of these frontier citizens were German immigrants with names like Guenther, Wulff, and Heusinger. With their wealth gained in merchandising and investing, they set about building the most lavish homes in the city, most in the grand Victorian style.

One of the most opulent of these residences was the Steves Homestead, positioned right on the banks of the river. Besides a natatorium and a carriage house, the home also boasted the finest furnishings and detail work of its era. Today it's open for public tours, as is the Guenther House next to Pioneer Flour Mills. The old mill still churns out some of the best flour gravy mix found on grocery shelves, along with cornbread, pancake, and similar mixes.

Other homes in King William are privately owned, but residents are accustomed to tour buses and pedestrians sight-seeing in the area. You can enjoy a self-guided tour by picking up a brochure ("King William Area — A Walking Tour") in front of the San Antonio Conservation Society headquarters in the Anton Wulff House (107 King William St., 210-224-6163) or at a visitors center in town. The walk takes you past over three dozen stately homes.

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