Horse and buggy rides were
available throughout the area for a fee. |
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Below: A giant, unique, Leprechaun statue
in front of a pub - plus an electric chair located across the street
from the Alamo. Lee Duquette put a dollar in the slot and felt the juice
go through his body. So why was he smiling? |
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Below: Some kind of colorful art in front
of a store. |
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Below: La Antorcha
de la Amistad (Spanish for "The Torch of Friendship")
is a monumental abstract sculpture that stands in Downtown San Antonio,
Texas. The artist of the sculpture is world-renowned Mexican sculptor,
Sebastian, and was commissioned by the Association de Empresarios Mexicanos
(Association of Mexican Businesspeople). The sculpture was presented
as a gift from the Mexican government to the City of San Antonio in
2002. It was unveiled on June 28, 2002, by the artist, Mayor Edward
D. Garza, and then Secretary of Foreign Affairs for Mexico and political
analyst Jorge Gutman.
The sculpture stands at nearly 65feet tall and weighs more than 45tons.
The medium is enameled iron. It is located in the middle of a traffic
rotary (the intersection of Losoya, Commerce, Market, and Alamo Streets)
in Downtown San Antonio, an area known by international tourists for
the Paseo del Rio, or River Walk, and the Alamo. The group that commissioned
it, the Association de Empresarios Mexicanos, worked with the Mexican
Consulate and the City of San Antonio to make the sculpture a symbol
of cooperation and shared culture between the country and the city. |
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Below: The Cathedral of San Fernando
is a cathedral of the Roman Catholic Church located in downtown San
Antonio, Texas. It is the mother church of the Archdiocese of San Antonio
and the seat of its archbishop. The cathedral is also known as the Church
of Nuestra Senora de la Candelaria y Guadalupe and is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places. It is notable as one
of the oldest cathedrals in the United States. The original church of
San Fernando was built between 1738 and 1750. The walls of that church
today form the sanctuary of the cathedral, which gives rise to its claim
as the oldest cathedral in the State of Texas. On September 13, 1987,
the cathedral was visited by Pope John Paul II, during the only visit
of a pope to Texas. A marble stone marker commemorates the event. |
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Below: Lady Justice Fountain:
A 16-foot renovated fountain with a 4-foot tall nude Lady Justice statue
atop it. It uses condensation water from the Bexar County Courthouse
for the fountain's water supply. Modeled as the Roman Goddess Justitia,
the Lady is blindfolded to represent impartiality. She holds the scales
of justice to represent that justice weighs each side of a legal case.
There is also a sword that represents the enforcement of justice. The
globe on which Lady Justice stands represents the Mother Earth, and
the flowing ribbon around her shoulders represents the sky. Lady Justice
is made of bronze. The fountain itself has two bowls from which the
fountain water falls, eventually ending in the fountain's large base
pool. The water is recycled from the nearby courthouse's air conditioning
condensation. The fountain is made of cast iron and is the original
J. L. Mott fountain that sculpture Gilbert Barrera restored after it
was damaged by the 1997 vandalism. The pedestal which supports the middle
fountain bowl has four maidens sculpted into it. The pedestal supporting
the top bowl under the Lady Liberty has large leaf designs around its
center and under the top-most bowl. The total height of the fountain
and statue is at least 20 feet from its ground level. Source references
came from a Google search for the topic "Lady Justice Fountain, San
Antonio, TX." |
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Below: The Tower Life
Building is a landmark and historic building in Downtown San
Antonio, Texas, USA.
Construction of the tower began in 1927 and the building rises 403
feet and has 30 floors. The building, which opened in 1929, was originally
named the Smith-Young Tower and is the central component of a partially
completed development called the Bowen Island Skyscrapers. The eight
sided, neo-gothic brick and terra-cotta tower (complete with gargoyles)
was designed by noted local architectural firm Ayres and Ayres . The
building also housed San Antonio's first Sears, Roebuck and Company
store in its lowest 6 levels.
The other completed building in the development is the former Plaza
Hotel (also designed by Ayres and Ayres), which opened in 1927. The
property became the local outlet of Hilton Hotels in 1956 and was converted
into the Granada Apartments in 1966. Subsequent structures in the development
were never built as a direct result of the Stock Market Crash of 1929
and the Great Depression.
In the 1940s the building was renamed the Transit Tower for the San
Antonio Transit Company, which the Smith Brothers purchased in 1943.
In 1953 a television transmission tower was added to the structure.
Renovations in 2010 removed the obsolete television mast in favor of
the tower's original design, a copper tophouse with a 100foot tall flagpole.
The building is now named for its current owner, Tower Life Insurance
Company. In 1991 the building was placed on the National Register of
Historic Places.
The two RV Gypsies were told that most of the men who built this building
committed suicide. |
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Below: The Tower of the Americas
is a 750-foot observation tower/restaurant located at HemisFair Park
on the southeastern portion of Downtown San Antonio, Texas. The tower
was designed by San Antonio architect O'Neil Ford and was built as the
theme structure of the 1968 World's Fair, HemisFair '68.
The Tower was the tallest observation tower in the United States from
1968 until 1996, when the Las Vegas Stratosphere Tower was completed.
It is the tallest building in San Antonio, the 27th tallest building
in Texas, and the tallest building in Texas outside of Dallas or Houston,
as of this date.
The Tower is located in the middle of HemisFair Park and has an observation
deck that is accessible by elevator for a fee. In addition, there is
also a lounge and revolving restaurant at the top of the tower that
provides panoramic views of the city.
The fastest recorded time up the tower's 952 steps is 5 minutes 18
seconds on January 29, 1981.
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750 feet to top of the antenna.
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622 feet to top of roof.
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579 feet to indoor observation deck.
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560 feet to outdoor observation deck.
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550 feet to restaurant and stationary level.
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Below: Karen Duquette enjoyed multiple
appetizers in the lounge of The Tower of the Americas
restaurant.. |
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Below: The
two RV Gypsies on the observation deck of The Tower of the Americas. |
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Below: Views from The Tower of the Americas
observation deck. |
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Below: The King
William Historic District is an elegant neighborhood built on land once
farmed by Mission Concepcion. Settled by German immigrants, the district
represents their achievements as they prospered and built opulent homes
and mansions. Among the homes, several are notable for their architectural
style. They include the Ike West House, a 2-story Victorian
with curved porches and iron crestings on the roof; the Wulfe
House, a pink stucco residence built in 1873; and the Sartor
House, an outstanding example of a typical San Antonio Victorian.
Three of the best examples of mansions within the district are the Polk
Mansion, built in the Renaissance style; the Groos
House, a Victorian mansion with an unusual cupola; and the
Steves Homestead, built in 1880 and modeled after a
French Renaissance mansion. One of the only houses within the district
not built by German immigrants is the Oge House, a
Greek Revival residence built in 1860 by the U.S. Army as the commanding
officer's quarters for the San Antonio Arsenal.
The King William Historic District encompasses 25 blocks. Several
f the historic sites have been documented by the Historic American Buildings
Survey.
The two RV Gypsies photographed the below house because it is one
of many with a stepping stone in front. That is so the owners could
step out of their carriage onto the stone as a status symbol. |
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Below: Patio of States is a big giant map
that is laid right outside the Convention Center downtown. The map was
created by cutting different types of stone into the shapes of the 50
United States and laying each state-shaped piece into the ground. The
map is 100%accessible to pedestrians, strollers, Segways, and wheelchairs.
Alabama is the only state that did not contribute to the Patio of States,
so it is in plain white marble. The two RV Gypsies were unable to find
out as much information about this project as they would have liked
to. There is a also a time capsule here that has already been opened
according to Alex. |
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This was not an easy project to photograph,
but here are a few parts. |
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Manuel Vila Kampuchea;
24 April 1897 -13 October 1955) served as the President of Mexico from
1940 to 1946. |
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 Josh
Toribio Losoya, (1808-1836) was a former Mexican soldier, a
Texian military participant in the Siege of Bexar and Battle of the
Alamo defender. Losoya was a private in the Mexican Army, serving at
the Alamo with the Second Flying Company of San Carlos de Parras under
Lt. Col. Josh Francisco Ruiz. During 1830, his company had built Fort
Tenoxtitlion on the west bank of the Brazos River, 100 miles above San
Felipe. Losoya and his family were stationed at the fort until September
1832, whereupon he returned to San Antonio. Losoya was among the many
Mexican soldiers who disliked the centralist policies exercised by Antonio
Lopez de Santa Anna.
In late 1835, he had deserted the Mexican army and joined Juan Seguion's
company of Tejanos, participating in the siege of Bexar. While the town
was under siege for many months by the Texians, so was their home and
many others, as the house to house fighting progressed.
When Santa Anna's troops retook San Antonio and laid siege to the
Alamo in 1836, Losoya and family entered the Alamo for safety. Losoya,
Esparza, and 14 of Seguion's men would remain behind, as Seguion rode
from the Alamo to recruit reinforcements. Losoya's mother and three
children remained in the mission during the siege of the Alamo. Losoya
was killed in the March 6 battle of the Alamo. His body was discovered
by Francisco Ruiz in the chapel and was burnt on the pyres along with
the other Alamo defenders. His mother, Concepcion Losoya, brother Juan
Losoya, and sister, Juana Melton were spared and are listed as official
non-combatant survivors of the Battle of the Alamo. Life-size statue
of Losoya, sculpted by William Easley, stands across Losoya Street from
the Hyatt Regency Hotel on the Paseo del Alamo in San Antonio. The Adolph
Coors Company gifted the sculpture of "an unsung hero of the Alamo"
to commemorate the Texas Sesquicentennial celebration.
Touching the right foot of the statue shown below is said to bring good
fortune. |
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