Scenic Loop Playground

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker says about Scenic Loop Playground, up in Bexar County. Now settle in, because this one starts as a getaway dream and ends up as something nobody quite planned. A businessman by the name of E.N.

Requa had an idea. Three hundred and twenty acres north of San Antonio, close enough to the city that a working man could reach it without half his weekend gone. Requa's vision was a rural recreational resort, a place where middle class workers could shake off the stresses of modern life and breathe something other than city air.

And the land he picked was already doing its part. Lee and Helotes Creeks came together right there. Small lakes sat ready for swimming.

A larger lake waited for boating and fishing. Live oak trees draped in Spanish moss gave the whole place a particular character, and that wooded stretch already had a name: Grey Forest. Requa set aside acreage for bridle trails, athletic fields, tennis courts, pocket parks.

He was building a world you'd want to visit. Then he drew a line right down the middle of it, Scenic Loop Road, dividing the development into two sections. Unit No. 1 opened for sale to the public in 1929, small lots meant to be used as campsites, places to pitch a tent, breathe the air, and go home Monday.

One year later, Unit No. 2 came along, larger lots this time, with room for boarding horses and other livestock. Many of the structures going up were built from native materials, the land lending itself to the building. It had the feel of something rooted.

Then came 1929. The Stock Market Crash hit, and the ensuing depression slowed Scenic Loop Playground's rate of development in a way no brochure had ever accounted for. And here's where the story quietly turns.

People who had come out for weekends started staying. The character of the place shifted, from recreational retreat to year-round living. By 1934, Requa signed over the common property in the development to the Scenic Loop Playground Club, to manage for the benefit of residents.

Lodges and lots kept selling on into the 1940s. The transformation was gradual, unhurried almost, but it was complete. What had been dreamed up as a place to visit had become a place people called home.

And so in 1962, Scenic Loop Playground incorporated as the City of Grey Forest. E.N. Requa set out to build a place to escape to.

Turns out, he built a place worth staying.

What the marker says

Businessman E.N. Requa developed Scenic Loop Playground on 320 acres north of San Antonio as a rural recreational resort within easy commuting distance from the city. Requa intended the area to be used as a retreat from the stresses of modern life for middle class workers by offering recreational opportunities in a natural scenic setting along the convergence of Lee and Helotes Creeks. Natural features of the area included small lakes used as swimming pools, a lake for boating and fishing, and live oak trees draped with Spanish moss in an area known as Grey Forest. Requa set aside acreage for use by residents as bridle trails, athletic fields, tennis courts and pocket parks. Scenic Loop Road divided the development into two sections, Unit No. 1, opened for sale to the public in 1929, contained small lots to be used as campsites. One year later, Unit No. 2 opened with larger lot development, offering opportunities for the boarding of horses and other livestock. Many of the structures in the development were built from native materials. The 1929 Stock Market Crash and ensuing depression slowed Scenic Loop Playground's rate of development. Soon, its character changed from recreational to year-round living. In 1934, Requa signed over common property in the development to the Scenic Loop Playground Club to manage for the benefit of residents. Lodges and lots continued to be sold into the 1940s. Soon, the transformation of the former recreational area into a rural community was complete, and in 1962, Scenic Loop Playground incorporated as the City of Grey Forest. (2007)