What’s ScoutSA?

ScoutSA is a program of the Office of Historic Preservation that explores, discovers, and celebrates the places, people, and traditions that make San Antonio unique. The ScoutSA program includes the City of San Antonio’s historic resource survey and designation initiative, an ongoing project that inventories potential landmarks and districts.

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ScoutSA is dedicated to making historic designation as transparent and accessible for the community as possible. Providing stakeholders with education and resources for historic designation creates economic growth, cultural stability, and environmental stability. The following toolkit provides readers with further insight into the process of designating a historical site. This toolkit is created under the guidance of ScoutSA’s purpose:  

• Preserve the authenticity of San Antonio’s diverse neighborhoods 

• Plan for the future and identify resources that may someday be eligible for landmark designation 

• Engage the public 

• Promote the benefit’s of San Antonio’s intangible and tangible heritage 

• Build awareness of the economic opportunities and positive impact of historic reservation 

• Provide resources that encourage development while protecting our resources 

• Connect people to the places that make San Antonio unique 

District preservation protects several historical structures that may not receive historical designation individually. It also helps promote the individual character of San Antonio’s neighborhoods by empowering the community. Stakeholders take pride in their neighborhood and advocate for continual revitalization.  

Interested in researching your own historic property? Get started here!

The preservation of sites as districts is a uniquely American tradition that can be traced back to the rise of the automobile in the 20th century. People travelled further away from their own communities with more freedom. As Americans explored the country, towns and cities focused on the preservation and beautification of neighborhoods. The unique charm of individual, preserved districts provided travelers with a region’s distinct culture and heritage.  

In 1968, San Antonio became the first Texas city with a residential historic district with the designation of the King William neighborhood. The district’s Greek Revival, Victorian, and Italianate-styled homes trace back to the arrival of German immigrants in the 1840’s. After falling into disrepair in the 1930’s and ‘40’s, a push to revive the neighborhood began in the ‘50’s when new residents were attracted to the area due to its proximity to the downtown business district.  San Antonio currently has 32 historic districts with another pending designation.  

The following video provides an overview of San Antonio’s Architectural History. 

Who can contribute?

Anyone! You, your friends, neighbors, family, visitors - all are welcome to share their favorite stories about San Antonio!

How can I designate a landmark?

Great question! Contact our ScoutSA staff at the Office of Historic Preservation. They can help walk you through the process of designating a property as a historic landmark.

Historic Designation in San Antonio

A full description of the designation process and guidelines can be found in Article VI- Historic Preservation and Urban Design under the Code of Ordinances City of San Antonio, Texas [LINK]. The city council of the City of San Antonio designates historic districts through a zoning ordinance that conforms to the federal and state constitution. Once designated, the district will bear “Historic” (H) or “Historic/Landmark” (HL) in their zoning designation.

Landmark designation

Landmark designation protects the City of San Antonio’s unique historic resources that range from residential homes, archeological sites, and the Spanish Missions. These landmarks are recognized by San Antonio for their outstanding historical, cultural, architectural, and/or archeological significance. Historic Landmark designation protects sites from demolition without approval from the Historic Design and Review Commission. There are currently over 1,500 historic landmarks in the city with designations continuously granted. The Unified Development Code provides sixteen criteria for evaluation to determine if a site is eligible for designation. Sites must meet at least three of the criteria. The following links provide further information on the application and process.

Landmark Application

Designation Criteria for Local Landmarks

Designation Process for Local Landmarks

Some examples of the varied landmarks found in San Antonio include:

Acequia Madre de Valero

An 18th century agricultural irrigation canal built to control the flow of water from the San Antonio River into the Spanish Missions.

Morris Apartments

The historic building has been renovated as an apartment building near the San Fernando Cathedral and Riverwalk.

Fire Station #01

The first fire station in San Antonio is also part of the Alamo Plaza Historic District. It was built under President Roosevelt’s WPA program.

Lone Star Brewery

Historically designated in 1972, the old brewery is now home to the San Antonio Museum of Art.

Guenther House

A prime example of the architectural style found in the King William District, the Guenther House was a private residence for Pioneer Flour Mills founder Carl Hilmar Guenther. It now serves as a restaurant and museum.

Guadalupe Theater

Part of San Antonio’s Westside, the Guadalupe Theater opened in 1942 and mainly played Mexican movies for the Mexican-American community.

Mission San Juan Capistrano

One of the many missions founded by the Franciscan Order in San Antonio under Spanish rule. It is now part of San Antonio Missions National Historical Park and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Steam Locomotive located in St. Paul Square

The steam locomotive is part of Sunset Station and an artifact of the Southern Pacific Railroad.

Archeological Site located at 643 Flores St. N.

Archeological sites provide insight into the rich cultural heritage of San Antonio. These sites may provide artifacts from earlier civilizations or the region’s vast ecosystem.

Casa Navarro

Designated a Recorded Texas historic landmark in 1962, listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1972, and named a National Historic Landmark in 2017. Casa Navarro was the home of Tejano statesman and historian José Antonio Navarro (1795-1871).

king william district

When the National Park Service designated the King William District a historic district, the requirements and procedures for requesting grants-in-aid were held under the provisions of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (80 Stat. 905). The National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 established a program to help the preservation of historical properties across the nation. It was approved on October 15, 1966. It also established the National Register of Historic Places and National Historic Landmarks Program. The Act stresses that the Nation’s irreplaceable heritage is in the public’s interest. “It's vital legacy of cultural, educational, aesthetic, inspirational, economic, and energy benefits will be maintained and enriched for future generations of Americans.” The nomination form referred to the King William Historic District as “a tree-shaded neighborhood of Victorian and turn-of-the-century homes” and highlighted the history and character of various homes, including the Wulff House, the Polk Mansion, and Guenther house.

el rinconcito de esperanza

El Rinconcito de Esperanza Historic District is the latest site to receive historic designation in San Antonio. The site includes eleven structures across three parcels on the east side of S Colorado St between Guadalupe and El Paso streets. The structures are mostly turn of the century to the 1930’s, a concrete block addition from the 1950’s, and an adobe structure built in 2017 representing the history of adobe in San Antonio. All structures are owned by the Esperanza Peace & Justice Center, a social justice and arts organization. El Rinconcito de Esperanza preserves small homes that housed Mexican American working-class families. The site preserves the integrity of a community that heavily influenced the culture of San Antonio.  

 The historic and design review of El Rinconcito de Esperanza is available HERE and exemplifies the current process for historic designation.

Any person owning property in the proposed district, the historic preservation officer, the historic and design review commission, the zoning commission, or the city council can file an application with the historic preservation officer.  For the historic preservation officer’s contact information, please click HERE.  The application is valid for one year and can be renewed by the same party or another individual/group.  

 If the historic preservation officer deems the proposed site appropriate for designation, the office of preservation staff holds at least one public meeting to inform property owners of the proposal and the designation process. Property owners take part in a ballot vote to approve the process and must be passed with an approval of at least 51%. Afterwards, a hearing is conducted by the zoning commission based on the historic and design review commission’s recommendation. The zoning commission’s recommendation is then moved to the city council, which holds a hearing to approve or deny designation.    

Where can I learn more?

Check out the City of San Antonio Office of Historic Preservation’s website.

We host fun activities, training, and workshops all year long, and we’d love to see you at our next event.

If you’re interested in joining our ScoutSA Survey Team, sign up as a volunteer!