City Hotel

Built in 1912 by Alsatian immigrant and prominent local developer Emil Schmidt, the City Hotel offered public lodging previously unavailable to visitors to La Coste. Its proximity to the railroad depot made it an ideal location to offer food and lodging to the growing number of visitors and business people involved in sales, expansion of the railroad, and the building of a dam in northeastern Medina County. The elegantly furnished rooms, verandas, and restaurant and ready clientele combined to make the hotel and restaurant an immediate success. Gus and Maggie (Ma) Keller bought the property in 1928 during the National prohibition against the sale of alcoholic beverages. They nevertheless ran a saloon in the hotel known as "Kellers Place" which according to local tradition allowed patrons to gamble and drink in a back room, an activity which because of timely telephone calls avoided police detection. Maggie, who managed the saloon for almost four decades, became the subject of local legend. One of the saloon's most prominent features was the large number of bottle caps which covered its walls and ceiling. The hotel is a local landmark recognized by generations of people traveling through or visiting La Coste. 1994

City Hotel is a historical marker in La Coste, Medina County, dedicated in 1994. It is one of 56 historical markers documented in Medina County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 108 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 29.3127, -98.8141 near La Coste. The nearest cataloged historic site is Our Lady of Grace Catholic Cemetery (cemetery), about 0.4 miles away. Others within a short drive include Mayer, Joseph, Homestead, Inhken Family Cemetery, and Vance Hotel and Store.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5325000875. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.