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The Otto
Meerscheidt House, a King William Home, is one of the most
impressive monumental Classical Greek Revival residences in
San Antonio. Constructed circa 1903 - 1907, it was listed on
the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 was
designated an historically exceptional landmark by the City of
San Antonio in 1987.
The original resident, Otto Meerscheidt, a vice-president of
the Alamo National Bank, was a dominant figure in San
Antonio’s history. Born in 1871 near Round Top, Texas to
Arthur and Caroline von Rosenberg Meerscheidt, the noble
lineage of his family can be traced back to Otto von Rosenberg
of Kurland in 1500. Otto was the twelfth in a family of
thirteen and grew up in La Grange. He later followed his
brothers to San Antonio where he eventually began an
illustrious banking career.
Otto and his wife, Nellie occupied the home until a few years
after Otto’s death in 1939. In 1955, Patterson Lodge No. 1177
A.F. and A.M. purchased the home and used it as a meeting
facility by removing all upstairs interior walls to create a
single meeting room for lodge functions.
A family purchased the home in 1981, re-installing the
interior walls on the second floor in addition to restoring
the main staircase to its original three-turn design. A modern
kitchen, new electrical wiring and plumbing were also added.
The home contains 14 rooms and over 5,000 square feet of
living space. The ceilings are twelve-feet tall and the floors
are red oak and yellow pine. The columned front porches,
rounded outwards in the center, contain 1,800 square feet of
space.
Rex and Jay have added finishing touches to include
wallpapers, paint, window dressings and general décor, but
have not changed the configuration of the home. Exterior
upgrades include driveway, landscaping and a rear deck. |
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