This story has been updated.
Two early 20th-century San Antonio buildings where food was central to their purpose could soon be listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Historic and Design Review Commission on Wednesday approved the nomination of the Monkey House and Commissary at the San Antonio Zoo and the Hugo & Schmeltzer Co. warehouse buildings for the National Register.
Both are considered historic because the structures are associated with important events that contributed to the pattern of American history, a primary requirement for the nomination to the listing.
Established by Congress in 1966, the register is the federal government’s official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects it deems worthy of preservation for their historical significance or artistic value.
The National Park System, which administers the program, requires the City of San Antonio to comment on nominations for sites within the city limits and the Texas Historical Commission sends those nominations to the city’s Office of Historic Preservation before they go to the State Review Board.
A property that makes it through the approval process and is listed in the register or located in a National Register Historic District could qualify for tax incentives for preserving the property.
One of the most recent San Antonio sites to be added to the National Register is another early 20th-century building — the Robert B. Green Memorial Hospital, 903 W. Martin St., added in 2018.
In the case of the Monkey House and Commissary, built between 1935 and 1937, the building represents “good historic integrity from its period of significance” and is an example of the New Deal-era buildings and structures at the zoo.
Designed by Adams & Adams, a San Antonio architecture firm that designed many of the buildings and structures at the zoo, the one-story building is a Spanish Revival style structure with a flat roof and red clay tile parapet, limestone rubble exterior walls, and minimal detailing.
Its architectural style also makes it eligible for historic nomination.
The building had several uses in its early days, including a commissary where meals for the zoo animals were prepared, an animal hospital, zoo staff office, and a place for the primate enclosures.
In the nearly 90 years since it was constructed, few alterations have been made to the building except for removal of the metal cages that were affixed to the exterior. The cages were removed in favor of more naturalistic accommodations for the animals.
The Monkey House and Commissary building is undergoing interior renovations as part of the first phase of a master redevelopment plan, said a spokesman.
Following restoration, the building will serve as the arrival point for visitors to purchase sundries, rent strollers and electric wheelchairs and pick up photos. There will also be restrooms and a cafe with outdoor seating.
“We are thrilled that HDRC approved our nomination [for] Monkey House to be placed on the National Register,” said Tim Morrow, president & CEO of the San Antonio Zoo. “The history of our zoo is one of the most impressive in the nation, and we are both proud and honored to represent and recognize those that came before us here to create this incredible place in and for our community.”
The 1907 Hugo & Schmeltzer Co. Warehouse is more commonly known to many San Antonians as the former Spaghetti Warehouse restaurant, which closed in March 2020.
Acquired last year by the Austin-based real estate investment firm Value Creation Strategies, the three-story building at 1226 E. Houston St. is situated on the Southern Pacific Railroad corridor on the East Side.
The building meets the National Register criteria for its historic significance to commerce in the era and the Romanesque Revival style details are an example of the historic architecture, state the documents submitted to the Office of Historic Preservation.
“Overall, the Hugo & Schmeltzer Company warehouse is remarkably intact and retains excellent integrity to communicate its historic and architectural significance,” state the documents.
The 29,000-square-foot structure was originally built by a wholesale grocer business, the Hugo & Schmeltzer Co., which previously operated from the Alamo Long Barrack, a building the company owned until 1904, said Rich Gottbrath, chief investment officer at Value Creation Strategies.
Gottbrath acquired the warehouse intending to complete a full historical restoration estimated at between $6 million and $7 million, he told the Report in 2022. The building could be converted to office space.
“The building itself has great cultural heritage to the city of San Antonio … [but] it needs a lot of love,” he said. Gottbrath is calling the building The Hugo in honor of the first owners.
But progress toward the goal has been slow due to market conditions, he said.
“Unfortunately, the debt financing market coupled with softness in the office market has really made this project tough from an economic perspective,” Gottbrath said. “We are exploring other options to figure out if there is an economically viable route to completing the project now once the historical registration process is complete. The alternative will be to hold the building until debt and market conditions improve.”
