Entire Block for Park Surrounding Alamo
San Antonio Light, Wednesday, March 2, 1927.
Purchase of the entire block surrounding the Alamo by the State as a memorial park, will be recommended by the committee appointed by Governor Moody to investigate values. Announcenent to this effect was made this Tuesday by Mrs. Clara Driscoll Sevier, who with Samuel P. Cochran of Dallas and Judge T. S. Henderson of Cameron, has interviewed property owners and secured from them their services of the surrounding property. Mrs. Sevier arrived from Austin for the annual meeting of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, of which she is State president. Shortly after her return to Austin following the close of the convention on Thursday, the report will be submitted to the Legislature. The work of the committee is practically complete now except for a few details, she said.
Mrs. Sevier declared Tuesday that the committee members feel that the entire remaining block is the only suitable memorial to Texas heroes in consideration of a memorial park. For this reason the recommendation will be for the State's acquisition of the entire block. She averred further that she personally will not recommend the purchase of any given piece of property over another piece.
In the meantime the movement of two realtors is forming a syndicate to aquire the Clifton George property, has been causing considerable agitation among local supporters of the movement for the State's purchase of the property. One of the men at the head of the plan announced Tuesday that their movement is not, in competition with the State, and that it was started as a commercial proposition as long as four months ago. He said that it was not his intention to secure an option to resell the land to the State, but that it was a development proposition. He explained further that information had come to him that the State was not going to buy the whole block, and that in such case the syndicate would acquire the property. This plan carried with it a movement to extend a street through the block at the rear of the Alamo.
Clifton George, speaking for the receiver of the property, said that the receiver is kindly disposed toward the State, and that he has made concessions to it that he would not make to any other purchaser. The property was appraised at $484,000 last week, and is the largest piece in the irregular shaped block. It fronts on East Houston and Nacogdoches Streets.
