King William Neighborhood

The King William neighborhood is located on the former farmlands of Mission San Antonio de Valero (the Alamo). The 216-acre area, less than one mile from the former mission, includes two National Register districts. It is bounded generally by Cesar Chavez Blvd. on the north, Eagleland St. on the south, St. Marys St. on the east, and the San Antonio River on the west. When the Spanish Government secularized the mission in 1793 the fertile fields with access to abundant water were distributed to local residents. Farming continued until the mid-1800s when the area was subdivided. Houses were built beginning in the 1850s and construction increased after the Civil War. New residents included many Germans who came to Texas to escape political and economic turmoil. The community received its name in about 1866 when Ernst and Emma Altgelt built their home on an unnamed street that they called King William after Wilhelm I of Prussia. The largely German neighborhood grew and diversified as San Antonios population increased over the coming decades. New residents included upper and middle class Mexicans who crossed the border because of the 1910 Mexican Revolution. The neighborhood encompasses the most diverse and intact collection of architecture in San Antonio. Stone, brick and frame structures in the Gothic Revival, Italianate, Romanesque Revival, Queen Anne and Craftsman styles date from 1858 to 1962. The neighborhood exemplifies San Antonios social, economic and architectural development from the Antebellum period through the Post-World War II era. (2012)

King William Neighborhood is a historical marker in San Antonio, Bexar County, dedicated in 2012. It is one of 239 historical markers documented in Bexar County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 542 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 29.4172, -98.4910 near San Antonio. The nearest cataloged historic site is Wulff, Anton (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Oge House, Sartor House, and Gustav Blersch House.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5507017272. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.