Come Out this Friday to help support La Tuna Grill and buy some Brisket Tacos ($3) along with Chips & Queso ($3). Also, will be selling $5.00 Raffle Tickets with a lot of Great Prizes. Dont Forget CASH ONLY! Hope to see you there! Your support is APPRECIATED, donations welcome! 5pm-10pm.
The event will be held at La Tuna to support the rebuilding of La Tuna Grill that was recently destroyed by a fire. Come down and show your support for local businesses! I’ll see you there.
My Facebook and twitter feeds were up and running early this morning with the breaking news of the fire at The Pedicab Bar and Grille. I was able to make it by this afternoon and was happy to see La Tuna icehouse was unaffected by the fire. In fact, they were open for business this afternoon.
La Tuna open for business
I wish I could say the same for The Pedicab Bar & Grille and La Tuna Grill. Pedicab looks like it is a total loss and La Tuna Grill sustained a lot of damage to the kitchen.
My friend that lives above La Tuna Grill made it out of his apartment this morning with a few belongings and his safety.
I’m thankful that everyone is safe and hope the best for a quick rebuild of both Pedicab Bar & Grill and La Tuna Grill.
Pedicab damage
Please be sure to frequent both places once they reopen for business.
I’ve recently opened my own agency and today the new signs are out. Let me know your thoughts on the new (albeit temporary) design. I’m working with my Graphic Designer on a whole branding and design package. More to follow.
Front Porch Realty, LLC
HemisView Farmers' Market in Lavaca
Drove by the intersection of Cesar Chavez (Durango Blvd) and Labor St this afternoon. This picture shows they are well on their way to hosting tomorrow’s inaugural Farmers’ Market. The event begins at 3pm and goes to 7pm. They plan to have the market every First Friday of each month. This will be a wonderful addition for Lavaca, Southtown, and all of Downtown.
Here’s a link to more information on the event:
Growing up in East Tennessee where lakes and rivers were abundant I used to love to canoe. I was so excited to hear recently that now I can canoe right here in my neighborhood of Southtown. In early August the San Antonio River Authority dropped its requirement that permits are needed to paddle on two parts of the River Walk Expansion. One can now paddle in the King William section and in the Eagleland section in Southtown.
You may also see me driving around with the canoe strapped to the roof of my Xterra as I can now also paddle in Woodlawn Lake, South Side Lions Park, Miller’s Pond, and Elmendorf Lake.
So next time you’re out at Academy Sports buy yourself a canoe and join me. I can’t think of a more peaceful way to end a day than canoeing and taking in the views of the King William homes from the river.
Here’s the link to the information on the San Antonio River Authority’s website:
http://www.sara-tx.org/parks_and_trails/paddling_trails.php
Cevallos Lofts will be a great addition to Southtown. We’re excited to have all of the new neighbors moving in very soon. The sales team at Cevallos Lofts created this great video highlighting the great people and places that make up Southtown. Check it out.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ys2GN3YkBd0&w=500&h=400&rel=0]
Be sure to visit their website as well. Cevallos Lofts
I am proud to call Jessica and Zach friends and neighbors. I applaud them in the risk they took to open S.A. Cycles and the success they have had in the past year. I’ve used their bicycle repair services a couple of times this year and would recommend them to anyone. They provide a great service to Southtown and to the many cyclist that ride the Mission Trail.
This article was published in Conexion.
Zach Seiter and Jessica Gonzales own S.A. Cycles is a neighborhood bike shop in Southtown that caters to all types of riders. Photo: HELEN L. MONTOYA
As the door to S.A. Cycles open, a bell chimes and a handful of friendly faces are there to say hello. Bicycles, both extravagant and simple, line the wall to the left, and bike accessories line the wall to the right.
SOLD - 526 Mission St in King William
I recently sold this wonderfuly renovated home in the King William Historic District. My client, CVF Homes, continues to provide newly renovated homes at affordable prices.
This article was submitted to the Express-News by Tenna Florian, AIA, LEED AP, an architect with Lake/Flato Architects. She gives a great architectural history of the porch and also speaks to its cultural connection in historic neighborhoods. I couldn’t have said it any better myself.
San Antonio’s historic neighborhoods are full of houses with great front porches. If you are lucky enough to live in one of these homes, now is the time of year to enjoy your porch. The mornings are relatively cool, the afternoons are breezy, and perhaps most importantly, the mosquitoes are not yet out in full force.
More than any other architectural element, the front porch is perceived as a uniquely American element; however, ‘American’ inherently means a product of the cultural melting pot that helped form the many architectural styles found in this country.
The early Colonial period of architecture was mostly devoid of porches, since the majority of the immigrants during this time hailed from Europe, where porches were not common. However, as colonialism in Africa, India, and the Caribbean brought more Europeans into contact with a variation of styles, the front porch became more prevalent.
Another strong influence in the evolution of the American porch was the ‘shotgun house’ (a small, one-room-wide home), built by African slaves in the South. The front porch found in these early homes may have been evidence of African architectural tradition, but easily could have been a response to climate, living conditions, and the desire to be connected to the outdoors and surrounding community.
Eventually, in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the front porch came to represent cultural ideals of family, community, and nature. After dinner, families would retire to the front porch to cool off and socialize among themselves and with neighbors. An inherent sense of security was built in to this setting, as there were now more eyes on the street.
The sense of community that the porch represented declined in the mid-20th century, as more Americans owned their own automobiles and a more suburban way of living began to develop. As the prevalence of the air conditioned home increased, the need to either sit on the porch and cool off diminished. Entering the home through the front door became a rarity as the popularity of the attached garage, which served as a back door point of entry, increased. The garage replaced the porch as the primary architectural feature, in relation to the street, of the front of a home.
But the front porch is making a comeback. A great front porch is seen as an asset when buying a historic home. There are also several new developments with design standards that require a home to have a front porch.
Sadly, many times these porches are more symbolic than they are functional. In order to be functional as more than a front stoop, a front porch should be at least deep enough to hold a chair with passing room in front, and at least wide enough for a porch swing, so that a family can sit comfortably on the porch and commune with nature and neighbors.
Whether you live in a bungalow in Beacon Hill or Mahncke Park, a Victorian Stick Style house in King William (or Lavaca), or any number of historic homes in central San Antonio neighborhoods, now is the time to open up your house, let the breeze come through, and enjoy your front porch.
While you are out there, be sure to acknowledge your neighbors that are also out, enjoying the night air.
This article was recently posted in the Spaces section of the San Antonio Express-News. This funky home sits in the southern end of Lavaca and is a testament to recycling older commercial spaces into creative residential spaces. The photos were taken by John Davenport who photographed my house for our Spaces article.
Many artists dream of having a studio and home in the same place. For many years, married artists Joey Fauerso and Riley Robinson lived near the studios they owned but wanted to be even closer.
A prominent focal point of the south central home of Joey Fauerso and her husband Riley Robinson is their centrally located courtyard
Last year they got their chance. The building next door, once a Mexican restaurant and then offices for a credit union, went on the market. Fauerso and Robinson bought the property but weren’t exactly sure how the 3,800 square-foot-office building would become a home.
They had a few ideas, though. They knew they wanted an interior courtyard, which would mean cutting a hole in the center of the building. They also wanted to reflect the building’s ’60s-era architecture in the interior design. They wanted to be resourceful with money and materials. And they wanted white walls to display their art collection.
Living room
Once the interior was demolished, it took four months to rebuild. The couple says they were lucky to collaborate with architect Leslie Anderson of MSA Architecture and contractor Tony Mangold of The Elan Group, whose team was first-class and fast.
“If you stood still, you got put into a wall,” Robinson joked.
Throughout the project, Fauerso and Robinson relied on their artistic training. Robinson, a sculptor, made decisions about proportions and the placement of windows and walls. Fauerso, a painter and video artist, selected colors, textures and patterns for the interior design.
At the center of the home is the courtyard, open to the sky and accessible on all sides by sliding glass doors.
“Cutting the roof open for the center atrium was critical to having a successful, light-filled living space,” Robinson said.
Courtyard
This airiness is augmented by 10-foot ceilings and white walls throughout the home.
The walls were skimmed with mud and painted a flat white to create a plaster effect. It was the contractor’s idea to round off all the edges to soften the wall contours.
The clean walls set off the art found everywhere, from paintings in hallway nooks to sculptures in the dining room. Some art is by friends, like three-dimensional framed scenes by paperwork artist Michael Velliquette. Some represents the couple’s own work, like the square of glass above the bathtub that Robinson etched with the word “Fabulousness.”
With all the white, Fauerso didn’t want the home to feel sterile.
She shopped salvage yards to find distinctive décor. One launching point for the interior design were ’60s-era ceramic light fixtures salvaged from Lackland Air Force Base. Their primary colors and geometric design inspired colors and patterns in the house.
Fauerso used gray and green tile found at the Habit for Humanity ReStore to design a tile pattern for the master bath. She also found Spanish-style tile for the courtyard walls and kitchen backsplash.
Much of the furniture was inherited, but Fauerso shopped at used office supply stores and online to find vintage furnishings reminiscent of the 1960s, like the rattan bedroom set.
Bedroom
She also shopped online resale sites. That’s where she found the dinged metal Kelvinator cabinets for the kitchen, which were refinished in slick, electric blue paint at an auto body shop.
The kitchen area has an open feel to it. The home at one time was a Mexican restaurant and at another time it was a credit union.
“One of the things I love about San Antonio is that it’s such a rich and colorful place, with such overlays of different cultures,” she says. “So I wanted this space to reflect that.”
House Rules
Recycle demolition material: After gutting the interior of the building, Joey Fauerso and Riley Robinson were left with several Dumpsters worth of wood, steel, copper and concrete. Their contractor had the wood mulched, sent the steel to a scrap yard and recycled the copper. The concrete blocks were reused as planters in the yard.
Repeat Elements: In the couple’s home, the white walls unify the rooms. Another repeated material is birch plywood, which was used for the kitchen counter and the 8-foot doors. Birch also was used for bathroom cabinets, custom-made by South Presa Cabinets.
Mix Affordable and Pricey: The couple has invested in some quality pieces like a light fixture by local woodworker Peter Zubiate and custom stools by San Antonio furniture designer Peter Glassford. But they also purchased off-the-shelf items to stay within their project budget and placed them in proximity to the higher-end items. “You can have some really (inexpensive) things if you have some really good things,” Fauerso says.
The dining table in the home has a Peter Zubiate light fixture hanging over it
Respect the Building: During the demolition, six layers of floor linoleum were removed, revealing concrete and terrazzo. The couple kept the terrazzo flooring for the character and to establish the age of the building. They also kept the original entrance, where storefront glass doors lead to a portico where more terrazzo tile is inset with the words “El Rancho,” the name of the restaurant that once occupied the property.
The name of the restaurant that once occupied the property.
