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Steves Homestead

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1875, Alfred Giles. 509 King William St.
  • (Carol M. Highsmith Archive, Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress)

The only house in King William with museum status, this three-story Second Empire residence was built for Edward Steves Sr., who immigrated from Germany in 1848. Steves, a rancher, moved to San Antonio in 1866 to open a lumberyard. Giles's design is restrained, especially on the interior, where, in keeping with the German origins of the Steves family, the house was heated by stoves and thus lacks ornate fireplaces. The house was acquired by the San Antonio Conservation Society in 1952 and is open to the public. The one-story building on the San Antonio River side of the lot was added in 1900 to house the first indoor swimming pool in the city.

The Steves family occupied two more nearby houses designed by Giles. The house at 431 King William Street of 1884 was a wedding present from Steves Sr. to Edward Steves Jr., and at number 504 the house of 1883 for another son of Steves Sr., Albert Steves, was heavily remodeled around 1900.

Writing Credits

Author: 
Gerald Moorhead et al.
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Data

What's Nearby

George Kalteyer House
Smith M. Ellis House (West House)
Commercial Building (Guenther House)
Norton-Polk-Mathis House, “Villa Finale”
George Chabot House

Citation

Gerald Moorhead et al., "Steves Homestead", [San Antonio, Texas], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/TX-01-SA77.

Print Source

Cover: Buildings of Texas

Buildings of Texas: Central, South, and Gulf Coast, Gerald Moorhead and contributors. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2013, 165-166.

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