Alexander and Alma Oppenheimer Halff House

Duane's take

The official marker's the source I'm drawing from here, and here's how I tell it. Picture San Antonio, 1904. Somebody with means, real means, is putting up a house.

And not just any somebody. Alexander Hart Halff was a merchant, a banker, a rancher, and a civic leader, all at once. His wife, Alma, came in as Alma Oppenheimer before she became Alma Halff.

Both of them from prominent local families. So when these two decided to build a home, you can bet the result was going to make a statement. And it did.

The designers they hired were C.A. Coughlin and Atlee B. Ayres, and those two had something interesting in mind.

They took the architectural sensibilities of the late nineteenth century and pressed them right up against the modernism of the early twentieth, and somehow made the whole thing work together. The house they produced, it's described as imposing, and you get the feeling that word earns its keep here. Look up and you'll notice a pressed metal roof.

Look a little lower and you'll find boxed eaves. Details that speak to craftsmanship, details that speak to intention. The Halff family made this place their home, and they kept it that way for a good long while.

They lived here until 1963. Nearly six decades of one family, one address, one house that started the century looking both backward and forward at the same time. That's a rare thing.

That's worth stopping for.

What the marker says

Built in 1904, this was the home of merchant, banker, rancher and civic leader Alexander Hart Halff and Alma (Oppenheimer) Halff, both members of prominent local families. This imposing residence was designed by C.A. Coughlin and Atlee B. Ayres and merges late 19th century architectural elements with early 20th century modernism. Features of the house include a pressed metal roof and boxed eaves. The family lived here until 1963. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1997