The Where I Live series aims to showcase our diverse city and region by spotlighting its many vibrant neighborhoods. Each week a local resident invites us over and lets us in on what makes their neighborhood special. Have we been to your neighborhood yet? Get in touch to share your story.
Since the age of 10, I have called Jefferson my neighborhood. Not only has it served as my home, but it’s also where I have made an impactful life over the past 40 years.
As a graduate of Jefferson High School, I made a conscious decision to invest in my neighborhood by acquiring residential properties to preserve the historic significance of the community. This was important to me as I wanted to ensure the cultural and historical significance of the neighborhood remained while providing opportunities for others to live within the home and enjoy the many amenities the neighborhood had to offer.
Jefferson served as the catalyst for entrepreneurship, allowing me to open Deco Pizzeria, which I owned and operated for nearly 13 years. Over those years, Deco Pizzeria became the neighborhood hub, hosting various community events, birthdays and anniversaries, and a local venue for live music. I am very proud and appreciative of the opportunity to share this with the surrounding neighborhood and the San Antonio community.
This is also the neighborhood where I met my husband, Edward, nearly 12 years ago. Interestingly, he and I had met three years before, when I served as the neighborhood association president and Edward worked at City Hall overseeing a neighborhood clean-up project I had coordinated with residents. We were briefly introduced during that project, but it wasn’t until 2012 that we got reacquainted and went on our first date at Pretty Nice Saloon — which is now the Lighthouse Lounge — and serendipitously found out that we lived less than a block from each other.
The rest is our story that we have been creating for more than a decade.
Edward and I love our city, and that is reflected in our careers and the service we contribute to our growing community. Edward has been a lifelong public servant working in local government for nearly 20 years and for the last five years in community mental health. I served as a local small business owner providing a place for community and culture and, most recently, leading a nonprofit supporting higher education scholarships for local youth.
We have built a life within the Jefferson community for over a decade and plan to be here for many years to come. We enjoy the historic Art Deco buildings, the uniqueness of the individual home designs, nearby Woodlawn Lake Park and its many community gatherings, local restaurants, small businesses and venues: Garcia’s Mexican Food, Lighthouse Lounge, Cool Crest, The Hut Diner, Floral Elegance, Dulce Sueños Coffee and Panaderia Jimenez, to name a few.
And of course, we appreciate having many friends and family within walking or biking distance. Equally satisfying is that our workplaces are within a 7-minute drive.
A year ago, we had the opportunity to purchase the house across the street from our existing home. The house belonged to our great-uncle and great-aunt, Alfred and Sara Valenzuela, who purchased the home in 1961.
Last August, we began the renovation to modernize the 98-year-old property and make it home while also honoring the family heritage. For eight months, we carefully redesigned the interior to accommodate family gatherings and home-cooked dinners, entertaining friends and a comforting space for us to relax and reenergize.
Like with any renovation, it came with some challenges and opportunities. Ultimately, we created a beautiful, unique space with details reflecting who we are individually and as a couple.
In April, we finally moved into our “Benazuela” home. Since our move, we have spent our weeknights and weekends with small projects to ensure the comforts of home are all in place.
We love our home and its family significance and have a deep appreciation for this beautiful, historic neighborhood we cherish every day.
