CPS Energy’s plans to dismantle a crumbling, century-old building next to an electrical substation north of downtown is meeting resistance from local preservationists.
In May, the city’s Office of Historic Preservation approved a request from CPS Energy to demolish the 1870s-era structure known as the Sommers Beer Garden at 928 N. Alamo St. in order to make more room for expanding the utility’s 10th Street substation, located in the booming River North neighborhood.
The request was approved administratively instead of through a hearing before the Historic and Design Review Commission; the city said it deemed a hearing to be unnecessary because the building had been altered and no public comments against the demolition were submitted.
In its review, city staff recommended that the stone and other materials be salvaged for future use and that dismantling the building by hand was preferred because it would yield the largest quantity of reusable materials.
But the board of the Conservation Society of San Antonio considers the stone building eligible for historic landmark status and wants to save it from the wrecking bars and sledgehammers.
Built in the late 19th century, the structure provides “a rare link” to San Antonio’s history, according to the preservation group.
It is associated with the German immigrant family of Francis Sommers and served as the saloon for Sommers’ beer garden. Research by Rita Schimpff for the Conservation Society suggests that it could be one of the oldest saloons still standing.
During Prohibition, the owners turned the place into a family deli where a signature chili dish served at Sommers Drug Stores originated.
In the 1950s, it was sold to the sign-maker Southwell Company and became the site where the first Texas historical marker was made.
The Conservation Society urged the City and CPS to halt plans for the demolition.
It’s not the first time the property has been part of a demolition request. In 2019 CPS requested historic assessment of the properties next to the substation — where the saloon is located and the adjacent Southwell Company building at 910 N. Alamo.
The city determined that though the saloon’s materials “were significant,” the properties were not eligible for landmark designation, and in 2021, approved razing the Southwell building that occupied much of the block at the corner of 10th and Broadway streets.
But the stamp of approval came with directions to preserve the stone saloon building: “Any unexpected collapse or damage to the limestone structure shall result in repair and/or reconstruction of the structure,” and removal would require another request to the Office of Historic Preservation.
Now CPS says the property is needed to expand the substation there in order to enhance reliability in the lower Broadway and downtown areas where new development has boomed in recent years.
The 10th Street substation is located catty-corner from Maverick Park and a short walk to the Soto office building and Make Ready Market in what is a growing neighborhood on the north edge of downtown.
CPS Energy has more than 100 electrical substations, which are the fenced-off interface between parts of the distribution grid and transmission systems.
The work to raze the stone building dwarfed by a maze of transmission lines is about to get underway behind tall, chain-link construction fencing that surrounds the property.
The limestone block and other materials will be preserved, said a CPS Energy spokeswoman, and donated to the city for potential reuse.
A city spokeswoman said the materials will be stored at the Material Innovation Center at Port SA to allow for reconstruction if someone becomes interested in the project.
The Conservation Society has not given up on the saloon, however. In an email to the San Antonio Report, Kathy Krnavek, president of the group, said, “We are contacting a lawyer who specializes in cultural resources laws, rules and regulations to see what our options are in regards to this situation.”
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