San Antonio Police History Archive

Photo crop exposure date: unknown. Exposure date (or window) of subject photo: 1915-1920. Subject: Photo crop of an aerial view of Alamo Plaza. Commerce street runs left to right at bottom of photograph. The massive Joske’s building (1887) with its 1909 renovation has not yet completed the surrounding of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church and rectory at Commerce and St. Joseph. To the west of Joske’s across Alamo Street on the NW corner of Commerce and Alamo is the Dullnig Building (1879/83) with its single western tower after losing 15 feet of its front and the eastern tower to the Commerce Street Widening Project (1913-1915). Crossing back to the east side of Alamo Street and moving to the north of the massive Joske’s building, there is the Gallagher Building (1877) at the south east corner of Blum and Alamo, which once housed the US Post Office. Across the street to the west is the Reuter Building (1891) sitting on the SW corner of Crockett and Alamo Plaza. It is the large white building with the three slit like windows to the left and down a little from the bandstand in the middle of plaza park. Across Crockett Street to the north of the Reuter Building is the San Antonio Club and Grand Opera House (1886). Continuing up the Westside of the plaza from the Grand is the Wickes Building (1886), the Crockett Block (1882) and then the Maverick Bank Building (1884) renamed the Swearingen-McCraw Building in 1894, on the SW corner of Houston and Alamo Plaza. Across Houston Street to the north is the Gibbs Building (1909) and across Alamo Street to the east is the US Post Office and Customs House (1890). Moving south across Houston is the Alamo Convento (Long Barracks) and then the Alamo Chapel and continuing south, the Menger Hotel (1859).