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Wow! Seeing those pictures of Windsor brings back memories. My husband and I were recently talking about how we had to get our school clothes from Bealls and Ward's when we were both little. I remember eating at Wyatt's and seeing the very first "Star Wars" movie in the theater.
Does anyone remember Gibson's? It was like a KMart? My mom used to work at the one on Eisenhauer, where the flea market is.
Most of my memories are of downtown:
when the buses still ran down Houston
when there was a Pizza Hut and Jack in the Box on Houston... where the SAPD Bike Patrol office is.
Alphonso's... the predecessor of Taco Cabana!
When there was a Luby's in the spot presently occupied by the City Council's chambers.
When the Luby's on Main was across from Fox Tech
When Woolworth's had a cafe... and sold really good donuts.
When Walgreen's on Houston had a cafe.
Kress on Houston
Shopping at Twin Sisters, Stuarts, and Bakers on Houston.
When there was a Church's Chicken on Houston... there were stools right by the window so that you could eat your chicken while waiting for the bus!
Going to the bookstore that was on the lower level of Joske's
When the Fairmont Hotel had to be moved to make way for Rivercenter
Shopping for records at "The Sound of Music" on Houston, next to the Majestic. Does anybody remember this place??
We all have such good memories. This is/was a really nice city to be raised in.
Bonnie&Clyde, what great memories you posted. I remember most of them. I used to work at the downtown Joske's. I remember the lunch counter at Woolworths before they stopped using it. And I definitely remember the bookstore down in the "bargain basement" of Joske's. I had forgotten about the Pizza Hut that is where the police bike patrol is now. Thanks for sharing your memories!
I remember just about everything on your list Bonnie&Clyde! I worked downtown in the early Seventies and again in early Eighties. I ate lunch at the different department store lunch counters....Kress, Neiseners, Greenes, Aronson Brothers. Every payday, I would treat myself to a nice lunch on the RiverWalk at the Kangaroo Court or the Chinese place that used to be there in 1982. And OH YEAH, those Woolworth donuts were the absolute best!!!!!
Do you remember when the Fuddruckers on Alamo Plaza and Commerce was the roast beef sandwich place...Red or Beef Baron or something like that? They also served hamburgers. There was an art gallery on the upper floor. It later became a McDonalds and there was a Baskin Robbins downstairs. G/M Steakhouse...the cook liked me and always loaded my burger and fries a little heavier lol. And there was a Three Bears Hamburger place on Alamo Plaza around 1972.
Rosengren's Bookstore behind the Alamo close to Joske's. This may be the one you mean on the lower level. La Feria on Commerce down by El Mercado was THE place for Quincinera and wedding dresses.
I remember when they tore out the upper floors of the Kress building......there were flies as big as BlackHawk helicopters and that musty old smell.........yukkkk. When they remodeled the Greene's on Alamo Plaza, a drinking fountain was found behind a wall that had a sign of past segregation. Greene's had once been the San Antonio Opera House ( pre 1900s if I remember right) and I think they also found a walled in staircase leading up to what had been the balcony section which the historians called in believed was the segregated seating.
Yeah, good times for sure. My next trip back, I am going to retrace some of my old walking routes. I keep flashing on memories of some really neat old buildings and houses ( like the house over by Travis Park that has the observatory, if its hasnt been torn down) and I need to refresh my memories of them before I post about them. I've been away too long!
Hi Eily!
Wow, what a trip down memory lane. I have very vivid memories of having breakfast at H.L. Green's. When I was a little girl, I attended school at St. Mark's, across from the Municipal Auditorium. My Mother also worked there and every once in a while, she and one of her co-workers/friends, would meet for breakfast at Green's. I can still smell the wonderful aroma of home made biscuits and breakfast being made!! And they served up the best chocolate milk!
Later, when I worked at Joske's at Alamo Plaza, I would often go eat lunch at GM Steakhouse. I haven't thought of that place in years. I remember I would walk over and on my way there or back, I'd always stop and window shop at the Alamo Jewelry store.
I don't remember them tearing out the upper floors of Kress. My husband's grandmother used to work there as a cook in their cafe/kitchen. She says it's where she learned all of her pie recipes and man, she can make some fantastic pies.
Do you remember The Vogue? When I worked at Joske's, at least early on, it was still there. I remember going there and it must have been during hte time they were about to close, because they had major sales tables with stuff everywhere upstairs. One time I walked over to Frost Bros. on Houston St. just to look around. I took an elevator upstairs and somehow, when I got off of the elevator, I was between two buildings. I never quite figured how that happened - I was just scared to death that I would be stuck there and not get back!
Yes, thanks for sharing the pics. Like Willsatx, I loved the whataburger photo. As soon as I saw it I had an instant memory of my husband and I eating there often (when we were dating). I appreciate you sharing!
thanks for the pictures, I remember the seats that looked like saddles in the whataburger, used to love to go there with my mom when I was little.
2. Federated Group (Next to Target at Cherry Ridge/410.) Was like a Best Buy type store
3. Sombrero Rosa
4. The old metal structure out at the entrance to Fair Oaks. They were gonna build a couple a stories tall building but stopped after putting up a few floors of framing.
5. Laser Tag at University Bowl of I-10
I've lived in the area since 1987 when I was a freshman in HS (Boerne) and cannot believe how much SA and the surrounding area has changed!
I lived in SA briefly as a young adult but I was born and raised in a small town about 50 miles SE of San Antonio. We watched San Antonio TV stations (back in the 60's and 70's, that meant ALL three of them!!!! four if you included KLRN (PBS), which we rarely did save for a few Davey and Goliath cartoons) and we listened to SA radio stations.
Growing up, KTSA was king as was AM radio. We also listened to KONO (Top Dog Radio) and would usually flip between the two stations. I remember Ricci Ware and Bruce (Brucie Poo) Hathaway and articles by Sam Kindrick--the old Cedar Chopper in the Express News which by the way, shared top newspaper billing with the San Antonio Light. On the radio, G.G. Gale would call in (probably live) during Casey Kasem's "American Top 40" every Sunday morning (Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars!!). G.G. wou;d call in to hawk prime real estate in the hills just North Northwest of the city....Whispering Oaks. Man, I remember that so vividly. My sister and were supposed to go to Catechism every Sunday morning (yeah, were wer good Catholic girls) and instead we'd skip out and just go riding around in a neighboring city while listening to the radio taking bets on which Jackson 5, Carpenters or Osmond Brothers song was #1 that week.
Then KTSA would include ecclisiastical programming with a hip twist. There was this show called "Powerline" that tried to deal with teen angst of the late 60's and early 70's. It;d play music and answer listener mail and you could write in for a free black lite poster. Far out, man.
IN 1972, the biggest movie that spring was "The Summer of '42". It broke all kinds of box office records, so KONO would reference everything that summer as "The Summer of '72 time is______" "The Summer of
72" temperatue this Tuesday afternoon is______". Why I remember that, I don't know.
Of course I remember all the other stuff..."5 Star Shock" at three every Saturday afternoon on Channel 5 and that WAS only if you were able to stand the movie from the night before on "Project Terror"..where the scientific and the terrorfying emerge...then the image of the atom would animate and make this grading alarm sound. Used to scare us kids.
Project Terror was gone by 71 and was replaced by ALL STAR WRESTLING which used the same theme from the movie, Peter Gunn as it's intro.
I used to watch Captain Gus every afternoon. He and the mateys and remember Zombie? ALl you'd hear was a growl from off stage and this big hairy furry arm like a bear would come into view from off camera. I know there was a Mortimer but I think that was after I lost interest in cartoons.
I never went to Playland Park and I always wanted to. I think that's why I have issues as an adult. We frequently went to Kiddle Park by the museum and Brackenridge, but for some reason my family just couldn't make it that far down Broadway. I never knew why.
I remember Hemisfair and seeing Mayor Walter McAllister on the Carol; Burnet Show (Carol was born in SA and was lived there as a child) and he presented her with a key to the city as the fair got underway.
I remember Martha Buchanan on WOAI when it was origanlly called WOAI. I rmemember Mary Denman and a noontime chat show for ladies called "Our Town". And who could forget Lydia Alegria and anyone remember Channel 5 Chief Meteorolgoist, Jerry Zimmerman? Kind of a squirrely looking guy with big black glasses, but the cat really knew his weather. He'd sign off each weather cast with his weather stick pointing down to his initials in the corner of his "weather board". It was an umbrella handle which formed the "J" and then there was a "Z" underneath.
Remember Ken Carter the anchor to KSAT's "12 Star Final". It was the bloodiest damn local newscast I'd ever seen. They'd get up close and personal with crime and accident victims, leaving little to the imagination. It opened with an emergency light flashing (like on top of a police car) and this big symphonic intro. Like mimicking the sound of a telegraph or something.
I remember Gibsons and Spartan Atlantic...and La Feria and of course, Centeno's. I remember SA fathers at the Chamber of Commerce tried to make a big deal of the four local and regional food manufacturing compaies headquarterd in SA. I think I can only remember two of the four:
1. Roeglein (pardon my spelling, but they made sausage, bacon..cold cuts). 2. Dentler-Facts (made potato and corn chips)
3. There was also a milk producer/dairy manufacturer..can't remember the name..was it Metzger's????
4. and I think that last one was Pioneer (they made flour and biscuit and cake mixes) I think the plant was located near the King William district.
Thanks for letting me traipse down memory lane. It was fun.
4. and I think that last one was Pioneer (they made flour and biscuit and cake mixes) I think the plant was located near the King William district.
Thanks for letting me traipse down memory lane. It was fun.
Ditto to all those memories Stiocjello!!!
The Pioneer Flour mill is still there and now a museum and restaurant. It has a lovely Tea room and is always busy. The top floor can be reserved for weddings, showers and special occasions. If you go to the gift shop on the 2nd floor you can still buy biscuit mix, recipe books and other memorabilia. There's also an interesting little book on the founder of the flour mill and lists all his descendants still living in San Antonio! Quite a prolific and successful family! Interesting history!
Does anyone remember the club that was near Maggies on San Pedro that had little private huts out back for small parties. It was so 70's...diso music...furry ottomans! and NO QUESTIONS asked! Then right next door or at the same place they had the hot tub clubs! What a disaster waiting to happen with health regulations. They were fun for a very short time! (Also in the 70's)
I lived in SA briefly as a young adult but I was born and raised in a small town about 50 miles SE of San Antonio. We watched San Antonio TV stations (back in the 60's and 70's, that meant ALL three of them!!!! four if you included KLRN (PBS), which we rarely did save for a few Davey and Goliath cartoons) and we listened to SA radio stations.
Growing up, KTSA was king as was AM radio. We also listened to KONO (Top Dog Radio) and would usually flip between the two stations. I remember Ricci Ware and Bruce (Brucie Poo) Hathaway and articles by Sam Kindrick--the old Cedar Chopper in the Express News which by the way, shared top newspaper billing with the San Antonio Light. On the radio, G.G. Gale would call in (probably live) during Casey Kasem's "American Top 40" every Sunday morning (Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars!!). G.G. wou;d call in to hawk prime real estate in the hills just North Northwest of the city....Whispering Oaks. Man, I remember that so vividly. My sister and were supposed to go to Catechism every Sunday morning (yeah, were wer good Catholic girls) and instead we'd skip out and just go riding around in a neighboring city while listening to the radio taking bets on which Jackson 5, Carpenters or Osmond Brothers song was #1 that week.
Then KTSA would include ecclisiastical programming with a hip twist. There was this show called "Powerline" that tried to deal with teen angst of the late 60's and early 70's. It;d play music and answer listener mail and you could write in for a free black lite poster. Far out, man.
IN 1972, the biggest movie that spring was "The Summer of '42". It broke all kinds of box office records, so KONO would reference everything that summer as "The Summer of '72 time is______" "The Summer of
72" temperatue this Tuesday afternoon is______". Why I remember that, I don't know.
Of course I remember all the other stuff..."5 Star Shock" at three every Saturday afternoon on Channel 5 and that WAS only if you were able to stand the movie from the night before on "Project Terror"..where the scientific and the terrorfying emerge...then the image of the atom would animate and make this grading alarm sound. Used to scare us kids.
Project Terror was gone by 71 and was replaced by ALL STAR WRESTLING which used the same theme from the movie, Peter Gunn as it's intro.
I used to watch Captain Gus every afternoon. He and the mateys and remember Zombie? ALl you'd hear was a growl from off stage and this big hairy furry arm like a bear would come into view from off camera. I know there was a Mortimer but I think that was after I lost interest in cartoons.
I never went to Playland Park and I always wanted to. I think that's why I have issues as an adult. We frequently went to Kiddle Park by the museum and Brackenridge, but for some reason my family just couldn't make it that far down Broadway. I never knew why.
I remember Hemisfair and seeing Mayor Walter McAllister on the Carol; Burnet Show (Carol was born in SA and was lived there as a child) and he presented her with a key to the city as the fair got underway.
I remember Martha Buchanan on WOAI when it was origanlly called WOAI. I rmemember Mary Denman and a noontime chat show for ladies called "Our Town". And who could forget Lydia Alegria and anyone remember Channel 5 Chief Meteorolgoist, Jerry Zimmerman? Kind of a squirrely looking guy with big black glasses, but the cat really knew his weather. He'd sign off each weather cast with his weather stick pointing down to his initials in the corner of his "weather board". It was an umbrella handle which formed the "J" and then there was a "Z" underneath.
Remember Ken Carter the anchor to KSAT's "12 Star Final". It was the bloodiest damn local newscast I'd ever seen. They'd get up close and personal with crime and accident victims, leaving little to the imagination. It opened with an emergency light flashing (like on top of a police car) and this big symphonic intro. Like mimicking the sound of a telegraph or something.
I remember Gibsons and Spartan Atlantic...and La Feria and of course, Centeno's. I remember SA fathers at the Chamber of Commerce tried to make a big deal of the four local and regional food manufacturing compaies headquarterd in SA. I think I can only remember two of the four:
1. Roeglein (pardon my spelling, but they made sausage, bacon..cold cuts). 2. Dentler-Facts (made potato and corn chips)
3. There was also a milk producer/dairy manufacturer..can't remember the name..was it Metzger's????
4. and I think that last one was Pioneer (they made flour and biscuit and cake mixes) I think the plant was located near the King William district.
Thanks for letting me traipse down memory lane. It was fun.
LOL! Thanks for bringing back more memories that I had totally forgotten!
GG Gale and the prime real estate -- is that the current Whispering Oaks subdivision off of Lockhill & Wurzbach?? Isn't he the same guy that became a monk and moved up into the hill country?
I'd forgotten about the Powerline radio show. "You're on the Powerline" was their slogan that they sort of sang. I'd also forgotten about the "Summer of 72" thing. Gee, that was back in the day when you actually had to turn a dial to change the station....
5 Star Shock was the name of that show! I think it came on about 3-4pm on Saturdays. Right after the matinee movies with Abbott and Costello, Sherlock Holmes and Charlie Chan and Mr. Moto. They would have some really cheesey movies like "I Was a Teenage Werewolf", not to mention the traditional Dracula, werewof, swamp thing, space thing type movies. I wish they were still on for my kids to watch.
I'm glad someone else remembers Jerry Zimmerman and his J/Z umbrella signature. He would end his weathercast with "That's the weather." and then point to his signature and say, "I'm Jerry Zimmerman." The camera would focus in on the umbrella. There was another weather guy used to draw caricatures or cartoons -- Jim Dawson, I think .
OH! Ken Carter with 12 Star Final. My grandma loved that broadcast. We used to gather around the TV (color TV!!) and watch all the murders, car wrecks and shootings galore. The symphonic intro was a fanfare of some sort. I can still hear it ringing in my ears!
I remember Gibson's and Spartan Atlantic. We used to make a weekly trek to Spartan's so my mom could buy stuff there. I don't remember much about the store except for the toy section!
I think you are right about the 4 food manufacturers. Pioneer is still around, not sure about the others. The SA Botanical Center has "Viva Botanica" each year. We went a couple of years ago and the Pioneer people were making their biscuits and gravy "Pioneer style" and giving away samples. Yummy! Dentler/Facts may still be around or they were bought out by Frito Lay. Seems like I remember seeing their name somewhere on a bag, but it may just be my imagination!
I think I must be the only kid that grew up here and never went to the Kiddie Park. (LOL Now I know why I have issues as an adult, too.) We went to the zoo and rode the train, but never the Kiddie Park. I don't recall going to the museum until I was older and could take myself. As for going to Playland Park, we only went once a year when my dad had tickets from the Shriners. I think it was the weekend prior to Easter. I used to look forward to going because he would get a ticket for one of my friends and we would be turned loose there for the day. That was such a great time!
We moved to San Antonio in 1971 when I was a little boy so I think we missed Jerry Zimmerman...or at least I was too young. I do remember Jim Dawson though a few years later..and yea, he did do the cartoons.
A funny thing about 12 Star Final...I personally don't remember it as I think channel 12's news format had changed by the early 70's when we moved to SA...but while in college at TU, and studying broadcast journalism, this particular newscast from channel 12 was constantly referred to as the poster child of what not to do when working on a television newscast. That was the mid to late 80's, but that newscast from the 60's was constantly mentioned and the instructors even pulled out old clips of how the show began complete with the music that has been mentioned for the opening credits.
I remember Powerline too..heck, I remember pretty much anything associated with KTSA from the early 70's on because that was about all that I listened to for years and years.
And we always supported the locally based SA products..Pioneer and especially Dentler-Facts for their potato chips! Spartan Atlantic is a blur to me but I definitely remember Gibson's.
It's nice to know folks are enjoying this thread..lots of good memories and I agree, SA was/is a great place to grow up especially back then when times were simpler and the city life more laid back. Thanks for all the "remember when's"....some that stir my memory, and others that I'm not familair with but like to hear about.
Sam Green was the real estate developer who later became a "monk" and moved to the Hill Country. His sales pitch included the slogan "the good Lord just isn't making any more land". He has had numerous legal issues over the last years due to his "religious activities".
Add me to the list of those with "issues" over not going to Playland Park or Kiddie Park lol.
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and NO QUESTIONS asked! Then right next door or at the same place they had the hot tub clubs! What a disaster waiting to happen with health regulations. They were fun for a very short time!
(Also in the 70's)
