An eclectic Victorian for sale in Lavaca was built by the Lone Star Brewery’s architect

A Victorian home recently listed for $925,000 in South San Antonio’s Lavaca neighborhood has a history replete with a variety of puro San Antonio cultural influences, thanks to Albert Felix Beckmann, the prominent architect behind it.

Beckmann was born in San Antonio, but studied architecture in Germany.

After returning to the Alamo City around 1880, Beckmann formed a partnership with James Wahrenberger, another German-trained architect, according to the Texas State Historical Association.

Together, the prolific duo created some of SA’s most iconic landmarks, including Southtown’s Beethoven Männerchor, the White Elephant Saloon on Alamo Plaza, Dr. Kalteyer’s Drug Store on Military Plaza, the City-County Hospital on San Fernando Hill and the original Joske’s Store — now demolished — at Alamo and Commerce streets. 

Together, Beckmann and Wahrenberger also designed jails, courthouses and federal buildings in Eagle Pass and other cities throughout Texas and Mexico.

But their most prominent collaboration of all was the construction of the Lone Star Brewery, a project they joined in 1895 as local architects for a St. Louis firm. Separately, Beckmann was also responsible for St. John’s Church, the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, and the Daily Express Building, according to historical documents.

As if his own prominence wasn’t impressive enough, Beckmann also married into a prominent San Antonio family when he wed Marie Guenther in 1886.

As busy as Beckmann stayed designing commercial and government properties, he somehow found time to build homes for some of San Antonio’s most prominent families, including this house on Lavaca Street, which was built the same year he began working on the Lone Star Brewery.

The home was commissioned by another man of note — prominent civic leader August Briam, described as a “grocery pioneer” in his obituary in the San Antonio Express-News’ archives.

In his obituary, Briam is described as heavily involved in local politics and in civic societies such as the Elks Lodge, Odd Fellows, Beethoven Society and the San Antonio Business Men’s Club, which later became the Chamber of Commerce.

The house Briam commissioned from Beckmann reflected the cultural influences that played a part in the lives of both prominent men. Briam, a lifelong San Antonio resident, couldn’t help but incorporate some of the Mexican and Spanish flair of his hometown into an otherwise classic Victorian structure.

As another uniquely San Antonio cultural influence, both men were involved with the German societies in town. Those disparate cultural touchpoints produced one of San Antonio’s more eclectic Victorians.

Yet somehow, in the Alamo City, it all makes sense together.

From the curb, the house lovingly reflects this hodgepodge of influences, with a Victorian structure accented by Talavera tiles that scale its exterior pillars. A pop of color from a bright blue dormer on the otherwise pale yellow exterior also indicates the many lives the house has lived.

Inside the two-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath residence, the culture clash continues with Victorian transoms, original hardwood floors and soaring 11-foot ceilings, all complemented by unexpected arched windows in the kitchen. Though arched windows certainly aren’t the norm in Victorian houses, they anchor the property firmly in San Antonio’s unique milieu.

Realtor Gina Candelario said the current owner stripped the house “down to the studs” to make it move-in ready. This includes a new HVAC system, bathroom upgrades, kitchen renovations, sewer lines, interior water lines, a water softener and a house filtration system under the sink utilizing reverse osmosis.

Despite all the upgrades, the owner worked directly with the San Antonio Historic and Design Review Commission to preserve the architectural integrity of such a unique property.

Indeed, the property has come a long way since the current owner purchased it, according to Candelario. At that point, she found the front and back yards, in addition to the interior, filled with piles of “generic ’80s-looking tile.”

The owner’s other changes were more cosmetic, Candelario said. Those included setting up one of the living rooms as a library and installing a bird and butterfly pollinator habitat garden in the backyard, which gets frequent visits from hummingbirds.

The seller has also divided what was once one contiguous corner lot into two, which she is selling separately. The property spans 0.21 acres, and an adjacent lot with several casitas is being sold separately as a multifamily income-producing property.

The owner leaves with such affection for the property that she even penned a love letter to the distinctive home and the surrounding neighborhood. In the letter, she describes neighbors walking their dogs, riding bicycles and meeting up for Thursday dinners.

“We feel very safe here,” she she wrote in the letter, obtained by the Current.

“This house was going to be our forever home,” she added. “But it wasn’t meant to be.”

This home is listed by Gina Candelario with Kuper Sotheby’s International Realty.

All photos and listing info via Realtor.com.