Alfred Giles is remembered as a major architect who designed many edifices throughout Texas in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born in 1853 in Hillingdon, Middlesex County, England, Giles spent his early days as an architect's apprentice in London. For health reasons, he moved to Texas in 1873 and worked with contractor John H. Kampmann. This experience taught Giles much about local materials. During his time in San Antonio, he established his own firm in 1876 and built residences for many historic figures such as Edward Steves (509 King William), Carl Wilhelm August Groos (335 King William) and Alexander Sartor (217 King William). In 1883, Giles constructed two small residences at 306 and 308 King William Street. He and his family lived at 308 King William from 1885 to 1888. The house was later remodeled by Giles and given as a wedding present to his daughter, Beatrice Angela Giles, and her husband, Paul Dreiss. The Dreiss family lived in the house from 1914 to 1931. In the 1980s, King William resident Walter Mathis undertook the restoration of 14 structures in the King William neighborhood, including 308 King William. Mathis added a small porch on the west façade of the house and converted the hayloft of the carriage house into living quarters. The L-plan, Folk Victorian-style house features a carpenter scroll-saw canopy and a king post truss over the front gable windows, plus dentil molding and wood balusters on the porch. The King William Historic District was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2015
Alfred Giles Home
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Alfred Giles Home is a historical marker in San Antonio, Bexar County, dedicated in 2015. 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 29.4147, -98.4929 near San Antonio. The nearest cataloged historic site is Groos, Carl Wilhelm August, House (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Altgelt-Isbell House, Oscar and Rachel Berman House, and Guenther's Upper Mill.
This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5507018172. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.
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