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| Architectural Analysis |
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This charming, brick house on West King's Highway was designed in the English Tudor Revival style, a residential style that was very popular in the neighborhoods near downtown San Antonio in the 1930s. The style is evoked by the stately, curved brick entrance portico which extends out towards the visitor, and the prominent cross gable, ornamented with triangular knee braces, that intersects the house's low-pitched four-point roof.
Often the Tudor style would also include features such as faux half-timbering; but the beauty of this design is in its elegant simplicity. The owner has improved upon this elegance by adding a turn-around drive in front, landscaping, and the bright red entry door whose color sparkles in the cut-glass insert of its body.
The interior spaces are light-filled and spacious for a house of this period. Upon entering the house you are greeted with a staircase filled with light from a window above. The staircase is ornamented with unique cut-wood side panels that dramatize the cadence of the stairs and match in character the wood cut-outs above the kitchen sink in the room beyond.
The living and dining rooms, in fact all rooms of the house, are outlined with wood ceiling moldings, baseboards, door and window moldings of a style unique to this house. The simple vertical lines and intersections of the moldings remind me of details on Art Deco buildings of the 1930s. In fact, there are several original cut-glass door knobs in the house that are connected to the door with metal v-shaped plates which look very reminiscent of Art Deco wall sconces (or an upside-down view of the Chrysler Building's tower in New York).
The fireplace in the living room and the downstairs guest bath are ornamented with brightly colored Mexican tiles, thanks to the previous owner before last. Although their design does not historically complement the house, I think they enhance the cheerful, overall bright demeanor of the house. his owner also added the alternating milky green-blue-white glass tile in the kitchen whose color scheme has Art Deco overtones. The kitchen itself is spacious and has the original cabinetry in excellent condition.
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Dear Joe,
 Now here's a nice house... 427 W Kings Hwy is an immaculate English Tudor Revival-style home in Alta Vista that is coming on market shortly. As usual, my subscribers get to hear about it first.
If you know of and friends or coworkers you care about who might be interested in a beautiful brick home near downtown, please feel free to forward this on to them them so they can get first dibs before it goes on MLS and the sign goes in front.
Joe Barfield, Broker, GRI, e-Pro, ecoBroker
210-846-9273
Specializing in Homes of Character & History
The Joe Barfield Group of Keller Williams
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| Alta Vista 3-2.5 English Tudor Revival - $260,000 |
 Living Room
A Beautiful brick Tudor Revival home in desirable Alta Vista, well-maintained by a meticulous owner. Windows throughout with amazing light.
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| Some Wonderful Memories |
 Home Office
The current owner, Ken, shares his favorite memories of 427, W King's Highway.
- Alta Vista is centrally located and it is unbelievably easy to hop onto any major highway and get to these destinations quickly and easily. I am a very busy person with a full schedule juggling two careers. I was always able to get wherever I needed to go in a flash.
- I have three favorite restaurants in this area: Capparelli's on Main, La Fonda on Main and that old standby, Jim's. They are all comfortable places to meet with friends and to enjoy good food and conversation. You invariably run into other people you know from the neighborhood. It is a close-knit community of the most diverse people in the city.
- I do enjoy Jim's burgers and the manicotti and Italian salads at Capparelli's
- I enjoy the shade trees, the friendly neighbors who all look out for each other and have become friends over the last 7.5 years I've lived here. I also love the fact that no two houses are alike. It is a friendly, welcoming place right on the edge of all the "action" of downtown. It is easy to feel a lot of pride in and love for Alta Vista. It is a very special place that evokes a simpler era of trust in people and beauty of surroundings.
- I love older homes and the unique styles of each. I never wanted to live in suburbia where everything looks the same. There is charm here. Character. A great blend of people with varying backgrounds. And everyone here shares the love of this neighborhood. We see ourselves as a group.
- I am single and do not know much about the schools. But I do know that in addition to public ones nearby, there are some excellent private schools in the immediate area - particularly Monte Vista. San Pedro Park is a great place for gatherings or just walking.
- Living here taught gave me my first real taste of neighborly living. The street was as much about the people as the beautiful houses. We took pride in our homes and joy in each other. I will miss that more than anything.
- This is a walking neighborhood, too. I regularly took walks through Alta Vista, but also I could easily cross San Pedro into Monte Vista and walk up and down the blocks, admiring the architecture of the homes and the beautiful landscaping. It is a visual treat for any walker.
- This is definitely a neighborhood where people care about their yards. I had never enjoyed yard work before I bought this house. But I soon found myself landscaping the front yard and planting seasonal flowers along with perennials. I took great pride and pleasure in how my yard looked in the spring and summer. So did most of my neighbors. I learned a lot from them about what grows best in South Texas heat and I would often just sit on my front steps and take in the view of my flowers and all the color and textures.
- This street is beautiful during the Christmas Holidays and I always went all out with my exterior decorations. I always managed to make my house look like a gingerbread house with the white twinkling icicle lights. Just about everyone on the street took Christmas decorating seriously and the spirit permeated our area. Also, Halloween was wonderful. We would average about 150 kids in costumes every year. They felt safe trick-or-treating here and my neighbors and I would enjoy talking outside, handing out candy, looking at all the costumes, etc.
- I am a PR consultant and worked from home the entire time I lived here. So I couldn't have had a more comfortable or cheerful work place.
- I felt safe and all the neighbors watched out for each other. It is a very safe place to live where people take good care of their houses and take pride in their community - and really care about each other.
- I could get anywhere I needed to in a short time. I loved the quick and easy access to I-10, 281, 35, downtown, North Star Mall, the Quarry, small shops on North Main Avenue. Olmos Park's main business corridor on McCullough is just minutes away, so I developed friendships at the Chevron station on the corner of Hildebrand and McCullough (owned by a Greek immigrant who always took good care of my car), Schnabel's (an honest-to-God old fashioned hardware store that felt more like a country store with plenty of conversation about current events, etc.), and at the Olmos Bharmacy and my health club, Anytime Fitness, which I often walked to. And both the San Pedro Park and Landa branches of the public libraryare minutes from the house.
- I gave several intimate dinner parties in my house and really enjoyed entertaining. The flow of the house was perfect for parties.
- In the spring and summer months, I loved going outside to hand-water my lawn and flowers, sip coffee, and often have nice conversations with my neighbors who were doing the same thing - especially on Saturday mornings. The neighborhood is full of birds, too, so most mornings they served as my alarm clock with their cheerful chirping. I know that sounds improbable, but it's true. I would often seen blue jays and cardinals in the backyard.
- I absolutely love my 32 windows and the bright sunshine that floods my house most mornings. This is the most cheerful and peaceful place I ever lived in and I absolutely loved opening up the blinds in the morning and enjoying coffee while peering out the windows in just about every room I will miss the tranquility and the sense of cheer in this house. It has a very positive vibe and spirit. I felt it the moment I walked in to see it and the feeling never went away.
- My very first dinner party was a "literary feast" fundraiser for the San Antonio Public Library Foundation and served as a kind of housewarming at the same time. Because my house was built in the 1930s, I chose a "period" theme, building the party around F. Scott Fitzgerald's unfinished novel, "The Last Tycoon," set in the age of silent movies as they transitioned into "talkies." I invited my guests to dress in 1920s style formal wear, hired a pianist to play 1920's songs, and cooked and served a four-course dinner (assisted by a waiter from the Plaza Club). Then, right after dessert, we had coffee in the living room as I gave a short concert of Cole Porter songs. The style of my house, the layout of the rooms, the food, clothes and music all made it a perfect way to "christen" my home.
- My next-door neighbors became like family to me. When I would travel, they took care of my yard, my cat, collected my mail and newspapers and kept an eye on everything. I did the same for them. We totally trusted each other. They have had a key to my house for a long time. That trust and old-fashioned neighborliness is my favorite memory of living here.
- We had a light snowfall in the winter of 2011 and the street looked like something out of the classic film, "A Wonderful Life."
- All of the flower planting and greening of the lawns in spring. These wonderful old houses just look beautiful awash in marigolds, snap dragons, roses, lilies, esperanza, impatiens, petunias and other wonderful plantings and container gardens.
- Almost never-ending sunshine. San Antonio's summer heat is brutal, no matter where you live, but I enjoyed the sunshine that poured into the house.
- Because of the two red oaks across the street and the large number of other majestic, mature trees in this older neighborhood, we actually felt like we had a "mini-fall" on our street. Lots of colored leaves in piles everywhere. Sweaters. Walks in early evening in the chill. Lights shining from windows as the sun set around 6 p.m. Fall decorations on front porches: pumpkins, bales of hay, fall flowers, etc. And my neighbors and I would share food like carne guisada stew or other fall-style meals.
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There you have it. Please don't hesitate to respond to this email or call me or my team if you or someone you know might be interested in this home.
Sincerely,
Joe Barfield
The architectural write-up is provided by Dr. Roff. Any reference to families is strictly academic. The Joe Barfield Group embraces all Equal Opportunity Housing Laws.
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Historically and Architecturally Significant San Antonio Vintage Homes 
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