Halff House

Duane's take

The official marker's the word on this one, and here's how I tell it. Now, if you want to talk about a man who came a long way and made something of it, pull up a chair, because Mayer Halff's story starts clear across the ocean — in Lauterborg, Alsace Lorraine, France — and finds its way to the heart of San Antonio in a manner that takes some tellin'. Mayer Halff arrived in Texas in 1850.

He was born in 1836, so he was no grizzled veteran when he stepped onto this soil — just a young man from the old country with, apparently, an eye for opportunity that wouldn't quit. He linked up with his brother Solomon, and together they opened a mercantile business over in Liberty. Now, dry goods and trade are one thing, but the Halff brothers didn't stop there.

No, they also began a cattle ranching enterprise, which — given what came later — turned out to be something of an understatement. By 1864, the brothers had set their sights on San Antonio. They moved there and established M.

Halff and Brother, a wholesale dry goods company. That's the business that anchored them. But the ranching side of things?

That was growing. Quietly, steadily, relentlessly. Their ranching interests eventually grew to include over a million acres of land — in Texas and other states.

A million acres. Let that number sit with you a moment while you're looking out the window at whatever stretch of Texas you happen to be rolling through right now. And if land and cattle weren't enough, the Halffs also became interested in banking.

These were not men who saw a ceiling. In 1890, Mayer Halff purchased land at this site — right here in San Antonio. Three years later, he and his wife Rachel, born a Hart, had this house built for their family.

And they did not build plain. The house went up in the Victorian era, exhibiting Eastlake and Richardsonian Romanesque stylistic influences — which is a formal way of saying this thing had presence. A prominent round arch entry.

A two-story crenellated bay. A two-story full-length side porch dressed up with Eastlake detailing. This was a family announcing that they had arrived, and they weren't whisperin' about it.

Originally, the house stood on Goliad Street. It was moved — moved — to make way for construction of the HemisFair facilities in the 1960s. So even the house itself had to pick up and go, which feels somehow fitting for a family that started in France, came through Liberty, and built an empire across a million Texas acres.

Mayer Halff was born in 1836 and died in 1905. But the story didn't end with him. The marker tells us that the Halff family played an important role in the development of San Antonio and the Texas cattle industry — and their reach extended even further through the generations.

Many of their descendants, some of whom married into the pioneer Oppenheimer family, still reside in the city to this day. A man from Lauterborg. A brother named Solomon.

A million acres. And a house ornate enough to be moved rather than lost. That's the Halff legacy — and San Antonio is still living inside it.

What the marker says

Mayer Halff (1836-1905) immigrated to Texas from Lauterborg, Alsace Lorraine, France, in 1850. In partnership with his brother Solomon, he opened a mercantile business in Liberty and began a cattle ranching enterprise. They moved to San Antonio in 1864 and established M. Halff & Brother, a wholesale dry goods company. Their ranching interests grew to include over a million acres of land in Texas and other states, and they also beame interested in banking. Mayer Halff purchased land at this site in 1890, and three years later he and his wifre Rachel (Hart) had this house built for their family. Exhibiting Eastlake and Richardsonian Romanesque stylistic influences, the Victorian-Era house features a prominent round arch entry, two-story crenellated bay, two-story full-length side porch with Eastlake detailing. Originally built on Goliad Street, the house remained for construction of the Hemisfair facilities in the 1960s. The Halff family played an important role in the development of San Antonio and the Texas cattle industry. Many of their descendants, some of whom married into the pioneer Oppenheimer Family, still reside in the city. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1966