A home for sale in Alamo Heights has hit the market for $950,000 and its three kitchens have an interesting story to tell — one that spells out its upper-crust origins.
Built in 1918 for physician Dr. Roy T. Goodwin and his wife, the house was purchased by the Rios family in 1959 and passed down through two generations, who have lovingly preserved its original character, quirks and all.
One such quirk, according to listing agent Christyne Bongiorno, is a notch in the floor of the dining room where a buzzer was once installed. The head of the table would press the floor buzzer with their foot, alerting kitchen staff it was time to serve the family meal.
The main house originally did not have a kitchen at all, as the members of well-heeled Goodwin family weren’t partial to cooking for themselves. Instead, the kitchen was located in the back house, where the kitchen staff also resided. Thus, the need for a buzzer system when it was time for dinner.
“So, [the matriarch] never cooked and they never really had kitchens in the house,” said Bongiorno. When the current seller, Norma Maldonado inherited the home, she brought the same aversion for cooking with her, the agent added.
To this day, the house displays the remnants of this multigenerational quirk. The main floor now has a kitchen, “but it doesn’t compare to what we traditionally are used to seeing,” said Bongiorno.
Though the small afterthought of a kitchen has all the usual appliances, the refrigerator is conspicuously absent, instead taking up space in a former porch that has since been converted to a laundry room. And just forget about a kitchen island.
However, this smaller-than-average kitchen is not the only kitchen in the main house today. At some point, a second story was added, complete with three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a larger kitchen. A separate set of stairs on the exterior gives the second story its own entrance, making it ideal as a rental unit, though the full main house has always been used for multi-generational family living.
Located behind a luxurious pool in the double lot’s backyard, the former staff quarters and kitchen house is now a pool house, though it still has separate living quarters and what was once the property’s only kitchen.
This home is listed by Christyne Bongiorno with Keller Williams City View.
All photos and listing info via Realtor.com.
Every house has a story, and our mission is to tell San Antonio’s story through the lens of our community’s historic and colorful homes. The San Antonio Current’s real estate features are not ads, and are strictly operated through our editorial department. But we love public input. Do you know of a unique San Antonio home that we should highlight? Let us know, and email skoithan@sacurrent.com.
