ScoutSa 2024 Year in Review!

As we set our sights on 2025, the ScoutSA team wants to reflect on the people, places, and traditions that were recognized and celebrated in 2024 as we continue our endeavor to continue our mission designate, survey, promote cultural initiatives, and research. This year started with new staff, with Gloria M. Colom Braña, PhD, joining the team on January 2nd as the new Cultural Historian. Jenny Hey, PhD left the Office of Historic Preservation to support the Climate Heritage Network and the Power of Preservation Foundation. Daniel Rodríguez worked as a Summer Ambassador and helped with translation efforts for the two Cultural Heritage District nominations. The following are some of the highlights of 2024.

Outreach and Community Engagement

Members of the ScoutSA team represented the OHP at multiple events including, hosting a tour of the Riverwalk during the Sister Cities International All Americas conference, manning a table at Paseo at the Westside, Brackenridge Park 125th Birthday Celebration, at the Pride Festival, advised students at career events at S. J. Davis Middle School and CAST Tech High School, gave a talk at the Women's Strength Collective Graduation Ceremony. Amy Fulkerson participated in the WOAI documentary Viva Fiesta! The Story Behind San Antonio’s Biggest Party and Gloria Colom Braña participated in the Texas Public Radio episode Great SA: Silk Road.

Touring the San Antonio Riverwalk with attendees of the ll Americas Sister Cities Summit in May 2024.

Preparation is Preservation! In July, ScoutSA shared resources for how to keep people, pets, and property safe during an emergency. Be sure to bookmark this site for tips on preparing your home for severe weather, ensuring personal safety after a disaster, salvaging water damages valuables and family treasures, addressing water damage to buildings, salvaging fire-damaged buildings and family treasures, and finding professional assistance.

African American and Black Cultural Context Statement

One of the major multi-year endeavors that the City has been working on is the African American Heritage Preservation Initiative that begun in 2021 and has guided multiple projects that have come into fruition this year. The initiative seeks to provide a comprehensive look at the contributions of San Antonio’s Black community throughout the city’s history and in the process recognize and celebrate the cultural, architectural, and living legacies throughout all of San Antonio.

The African American Neighborhoods Historic Resources Survey for the City of San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas was performed for five traditionally African American neighborhoods by SWCA Environmental Consultants. The West End-Lincoln Heights, Denver Heights, East Denver Heights, Harvard Place-Eastlawn, and Westside Enclave were surveyed to establish eligibility for nomination of individual sites and/or districts with the National Register of Historic Places. Data from the survey is currently being reviewed and prepared to share with the public in 2025.

Pop-up Exhibit and Community Outreach

Two copies of San Antonio’s African American History Pop Up Exhibits were printed and have been used for educational purposes throughout San Antonio this year. One can be found at the Carver Library and the other one is available for temporary displays. Each display measures roughly two feet by five feet, each featuring an aspect of San Antonio’s Black History. The exhibits have been used during multiple outreach initiatives, some of which are listed below.

Charles Gentry, PhD, Amy Fulkerson, and Gloria Colom Braña gave a talk at the SAPL Retreat on February 19, 2024, centered on the African American and Black Cultural Context Statement. They also participated in a short video about the history of Charles Bellinger House and the Greater Corinth Baptist Church campus. Two copies of San Antonio’s African American History Pop Up Exhibits were printed and have been used for educational purposes throughout San Antonio this year. One can be found at the Carver Library and the other one is available for temporary displays. Each display measures roughly two feet by five feet, providing information on specific aspects of Black history from contact in 1718 into the twentieth century.

Amy Fulkerson and Charles Gentry presenting at the Women's Strength Collective Graduation Ceremony.

The historic residence of Charles V. Bellinger and the Greater Corinth Baptist Church Campus, located at the 500 S New Braunfels Ave. block have been sent to the Texas Historical Commission for consideration for submission for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. Charles Bellinger was one of San Antonio’s political and civil rights leaders during the 1930’s, ensuring physical improvements to San Antonio’s Black communities through advocacy and political influence. He purchased an entire block in 1924 to build his mansion. After his passing, the property was sold to Greater Corinth Baptist Church, who built a campus consisting of the sanctuary, a gym, and the parsonage during the 1940s. They incorporated the Bellinger House and continue to use and maintain the property. The nomination is on the agenda for the State Board of Review Meeting on January 18, 2025.

Bellinger House being inaugurated as an educational center, Courtesy of Greater Corinth Baptist Church.

The work on these endeavors would not have been possible without the help of the Conservation Society of San Antonio, the Certified Local Government Grant, the National Parks Service, and the Preservation Trust Fund.

Designations and Assessments

This year, City Council approve 10 new local historic landmarks, all with owner support. This year also saw active work on the nomination of not one but two Cultural Heritage Districts. The Silk Road Cultural Heritage District, nominated for the area surrounding the Medical Center and Wurzbach Road on the northwest corner of the city seeks to recognize, honor, and celebrate the global community that lives, works, and moves within the community. The nomination was spearheaded by multiple stakeholder groups and District 8 of San Antonio’s City Council. Three community listening sessions were held at the Bob Ross Senior Center between April and May, which were interspersed with active communication with community groups and multiple site visits.

First Silk Road Cultural Heritage District Community meeting at the Bob Ross Senior Center.

A staff report was prepared which you can view at the SASpeakUP webpage which provided historical context to the district along with recommendations of various initiatives that are a good fit for the district going forward. The following two businesses, Ali Baba International Food Market and Pasha Mediterranean Grill have been recognized as legacy businesses through San Antonio’s Legacy Business Program due to their longevity and active role in bringing communities together. The nomination is scheduled to be brought before the Historic and Design Review Commission (HDRC) on December 18, 2024.

Site of the original Pasha Mediterranean Grill along Wurzbach Road.

The ScoutSA team has also been hard at work on the nomination of the Pride Cultural Heritage District centered along N Main Avenue. Three community listening sessions were held at Eco Centro between July and September, with avid participation during all the meetings. The district nomination seeks to recognize and celebrate sites, both existing and gone that have been and continue to be relevant to the LGTBQIA+ communities of San Antonio. We are currently working on preparing the staff report to bring the Cultural Heritage District nomination to the HDRC for consideration early next year.

ScoutSA also sits at the intersection of preservation and sustainability. One of our many functions is to review properties that are receiving federal funds for rehabilitation – more than 270 properties in 2024! This provides us with the opportunity to help identify opportunities for reuse of materials reclaimed during deconstruction. This year an 1897 Folk Victorian home in Denver Heights was identified by ScoutSA as a candidate for reuse of materials. OHP’s Deconstruction & Circular Economy Managers were able to match materials from a home being deconstructed and have them delivered to the Denver Heights site. In addition to diverting valuable building materials from the landfill through deconstruction, this home was restored using period appropriate siding and wooden windows thus preserving its historic character.