Kaffeeklatsch in San Antonio

By: Sophia Schultz, ARCH Director of International Programs

 

I recently embarked on the famous River Walk in San Antonio, Texas. Signage placed along the river provide historic background, and here is the one I stumbled across on my way back from downtown:

 

 

 

 

Kaffeeklatsch!

For us Germans – when we hear Kaffeeklatsch – an image comes to mind which is not very different from the above. Women sitting together, chatting, holding delicate porcelain cups. Kaffeeklatsch describes a social gathering, usually among women, where local and personal issues are casually discussed. Or let’s just call it what it is: gossip. 🙂

It’s similar to afternoon tea, as the get-together takes place between lunch and dinner. Usually at someone’s private home, the hostess will make sure to bring out her best table cloth and finest tableware. Less usually, it could also take place in a coffee house, similar to the male equivalent, the Stammtisch (usually involving having a drink early on Sundays always at the exact same table, involving the same group of people – because who does not like a bit of predictability?).

As you can imagine, finding out that Kaffeeklatsch was a traditional pastime here in San Antonio of all places, led me to venture deeper into the historic King William neighborhood and explore a little bit more.

I learned that in the 1840s, German families settled in this area. After the neighborhood was restored decades later it became a tourist attraction. Interestingly it still is predominantly a residential area, but having walked through it myself I can totally understand the tourist appeal.

Unfortunately, my visit fell on the day Hurricane Harvey was about to hit the Texas coast. San Antonio was mapped as only being on the edge of the danger zone, but nonetheless people were rightly preparing for the worst. The streets were eerily empty. And still, one deja-vu kept on re-appearing nonetheless; it was that of the house of Pippi Longstocking. Yes, her dad was a captain out in the stormy seas from where the hurricane was approaching. But the less metaphorical trigger was the architecture of the houses, with their often starkly contrasting colors, playfully applied on the window frames, the door frames, and the verandas. Sometimes they were decorated by multiple balconies, one particularly impressive one was more a wooden bridge connecting two sides of the same house. Lastly, they were overwhelming in their grandness and uniqueness (no rows of identical townhouses to be found in King William). Moreover, several houses have a block of stone in front of their main entrances, close to the street. Coming back with my friend later that same day (I just couldn’t get enough of this neighborhood) she explained to me that those were there to facilitate climbing off a horse.

Here is a picture of me pretending I just arrived at my house (my horse had to be moved outside the picture frame because it wasn’t white with black dots 😉 (Pippi Longstocking reference)).

This reminds me – the Pippi Longstocking series’ theme song was stuck in my head all day long. And yes, I sang the German version of it to my friend. Even though it’s a Swedish children’s show, my friends (who both grew up in the U.S.) had fond memories of the children’s show as well. So I got no complaints.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-knJgDpY78

Here is a little bit more info on the King William Historic District, which dates back to the 1790s, when the land that once belonged to the Mission San Antonio de Valero (now known as The Alamo) was made available for native settlers in the area or sold at auction.

In the 1860s, the area was divided into individual lots and the course of the streets that exist today was established. Soon after, German nationals who immigrated to Texas in the 1840s began to settle in the area, which developed into the King William district when Ernst Altgel, a German immigrant who later became a businessman in San Antonio, named its main street after King Wilhelm I, the king of Prussia in 1870.

However, people did not always respect that noble designation, and the neighborhood was also dubbed the “Sauerkraut Bend.” And during World War I, when anti-German sentiment ran high, it was named Pershing Avenue to honor U.S. Army Gen. John J. Pershing. The King William name was restored after the war.

The district is famous for its Greek Revival, Victorian and Italianate-styled homes. After World War II, the neighborhood lost some of its charm when residents moved away and houses fell into disrepair. In the 1950s, renovations began on original homes maintaining their historic character, making it a popular district once again. Restoration work is still ongoing on several houses.

With the preservation efforts came its revitalization as a charismatic destination with a history. In 1968, King William became San Antonio’s first designated historic district and in 1972, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

I encourage everyone to visit this neighborhood, and then stop by for coffee at “White Elephant” – I recommend the pour-over paired with the vegan lemon pistachio donut. Not traditionally German, I know.

 

More photos from the trip:

References (the same as King William links above):

http://www.mysanantonio.com/lifestyle/travel-outdoors/article/San-Antonio-s-King-William-is-one-of-the-most-7044456.php

http://www.sanantonio.gov/historic/Districts/King_William
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