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The Ogé House on the Riverwalk
A classic plantation house built during the
Greek Revival craze that spread across the South in the years before
the Civil War, the Ogé (pronounced OH-jhay) House is the
crowning glory of San Antonio's historic King William neighborhood.
The inn's owners have created an understated tribute to the antebellum
South, complete with a veranda from which one can look out over
the pecan-shaded estate. But it has all the modern amenities: From
the registration desk to the in-room premium cable TV and the state-of-the
art telephone system, their inn has the ambience of a luxury hotel.
Built in 1857 by pioneer Texas ranger and cattle
rancher Louis Oge[ac], the three-story manse sits on 1.5 acres of
landscaped lawns and gardens overlooking the Paseo del Rio. It had
been a boardinghouse before the Magatagans purchased it in 1991
and set out to transform it into San Antonio's brightest B&B.
Kitchenettes were turned into lovely vanities; walls were painted
in creamy whites; bathrooms were overhauled; and pine floors were
polished and draped with fine Oriental rugs.
Today each room isequipped with premium cable TV
and telephones, bathrooms were modernized to put the house in tip-top
condition. The home is furnished mostly with early American Victorian
furniture, but there are some Texas-style items, mainly found in
the Bluebonnet Room.
Even one of the home's tributes to things Texan---a
bullhorn sofa in an upstairs lounging area---was purchased "up
nawth." Texas-theme furnishings are also found in the Bluebonnet
Room, complete with a rolling-pin bed and a West Texas judge's desk.
Otherwise, early American Victorian furniture dominates the guest
rooms and suites
The house's second floor is the main floor, with
an entryway, sitting room, library, kitchen, dining room, and two
guest rooms. The first floor is an English basement, which houses
a guest room and suite as well as the Magatagans' living quarters.
The three third-floor suites are the most impressive: Each has access
to the wide veranda or, in one case, a small private balcony.
Location: 209 Washington
St. in the King William District
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Antonio Hotels, B&Bs
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