Old Landmark Gone

Old Landmark Gone
San Antonio Express, Sunday, February.23, 1902.
When during the week workmen with pick and shovel began the demolition of the old building at Presa and Commerce street, which is to give place to the modern, fireproof Alamo National Bank building, one of the land marks of San Antonio began to disappear.
Strange as it may seem to the modern San Antonian, it is a fact that this old adobe house was in its day one of the finest buildings in the city. Its only rival for the honor of being the first building in the city was the stone building erected by Charles Hammel, on the north side of Commerce street a few feet west of Navarro, where the modern building occupied by the Stower's Furniture Company now stands.
In 1849 Commerce street was a narrow, crooked lane upon which at intervals stood poor shacks occupied by Mexicans.
There was considerable excitement in the old town when it became known that Jose Cassiano was planning to build a large house on the street. The preparations of the workmen were watched with keen interest and there was not a little scoffing among these new to the country when it became known that walls were to be constructed of mud. Poisard, a French carpenter, was in charge of the work. When the time came to build the walls, wooden boxes were erected and into them was dumped mud and little stones, the boxes being removed when the walls were dry. This was the forerunner of the concrete construction that is being tested by architects and builders of these days.
About the same time Charles Hummel erected his stone house, it was the wonder of the city, being two stories in height, and having a broad gallery extending all around it. These two buildings were for years the best on Commerce street.
One attempt to build an adobe house like that of Mr. Cassino did not succeed so well. It was erected where the Critzer store now stands and while the walls were being built inside the boxes, a heavy rain came and melted the mud so that the whole structure collapsed.
Messrs. A. Sartor and Charles Hummel remember those days very well. Mr. Sartor came to San Antonio just after the Cassiano building was erected and Mr. Hummel was here several years before.
Mr. Sartor foresaw the future growth of San Antonio and the need for wide streets, and if the city authorities of that day had taken his advice Commerce street would now be a wide thoroughfare instead of the narrow, crooked street that it is.
"In those days," said Mr. Sartor, "there were few buildings on the street and I urged that the street and sidewalks be made wide, knowing that later when property became valuable, widening would be impossible. When I tore down my old buildings on the north side of Commerce street from Presa east almost to the river, I set the new buildings back several feet in order to allow for wide sidewalks."
Mr. Hummel remembers very well when the Cassiano building was erected.
"Poinsard, a Frenchman, put up the building," he said. "The mud was taken from around the town most anywhere and was mixed with rocks and tamped into boxes. That building and mine, which was stoic, were the best on the street for some years. The Cassino building was first occupied as a general merchandise store."

THE SECOND FLYING COMPANY OF ALAMO DE PARRAS Š1996,1997, Randell Tarin. All Rights Reserved.