1/31/1859: Brewmeister & boarding-house owner open hotel & future landmark

[Craig Tx]

On this date in 1859, William and Maria Clara Menger opened their hotel, now a landmark, on Alamo Plaza in San Antonio.

In partnership with Charles Philip Degen, William Menger also operated a brewery on the site. Maria Menger had owned and operated a boarding house in San Antonio in the early 1850s. The hotel is one of the best-known lodging houses in Texas. Its guests have included O. Henry (William Sydney Porter), Ulysses S. Grant, and Theodore Roosevelt. The building has been remodeled many times and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The Menger continues to serve as a center for meetings and other social affairs.

Craig's note:  The Menger is a fabulous hotel.  I've stayed there a few times.  It's pricy, but being right across the street from the Alamo, and also the River Walk not to mention the history of the place make it worthwhile for me.