413 Sidney Baker Street

Now a law office, this house was erected sometime before 1898, making it among the oldest houses in Kerrville.

In November 1929 Albert Beitel, Sr., sold 3/4 of the lot this house sits on and the house to Mrs. J. H. C. Maxwell for $1,250.   Mrs. Maxwell was the widow of Rev. J. H. C. Maxwell, a Methodist minister.  In July 1925 Rev. Maxwell, who was serving in Poteet, became ill with appendicitis while visiting Kerrville. He died following surgery for the appendicitis and is buried at Glen Rest.  He had once been pastor at Center Point.  His widow must have liked the area because she made Kerrville her home after he died.
Beitel sold the property to Mrs. Maxwell with the condition she had the right to remove "the old house" off the property so long as she applied the proceeds to pay off the lien on the property.  Houses were frequently moved from one lot to another. Happily, she chose to keep the old house.

In June 1934 Josephine Maxwell rented the house to Drs. Sherburne and Sherburne, chiropractors.  It served as both their home and office for the next year when they moved again.  In March 1936 she offered "For sale--My home, at a bargain, if sold within next few weeks."  It did not sell quickly so she advertised for roomers and continued to live here until August 1943 when Mrs. Edna Roney of Minnesota purchased the house.  She sold the house to  J. R. Burnett in 1946. His widow inherited the property in 1951.

In November 1951 "The Health Bar" opened in this house, offering home baked bread, fresh yogurt (made daily), and other health food offerings. It moved to a new location in February 1952.  After that, it appears from city directories and newspapers the house again served as a residence until 1973.  Since then it has been used for commercial purposes.

717 Sidney Baker Street

Also known as the Mittanck house.

On April 8, 1908 Charles Schreiner sold four acres of land on Tchoupitoulas Street (now Sidney Baker Street) to Julius F. and Emma Mittanck.  They then hired Henry Remschel to build a house on the land. They had moved in by the time of the 1910 census.

On November 9, 1915 H. Remschel made a statement that he had been given a note secured by lien, to erect a residence for the Mittancks "on the land described" and that he was now releasing the lien. The debt had been paid.

ca 1988

Julius Mittanck appears in the 1910 census in Kerrville. In 1920 he was in Pleasanton, Atascosa Co., Texas, where he was managing an ice plant, but his wife and children were in McAllen.
Sometime between 1910 and 1920 they rented the house out, first to H. L. Arno, then in September 1922, to E. M. Shirley.  In June 1923 the Mittancks returned to Kerrville and Julius Mittanck went to work for the American Creamery Company. The September 22, 1922 Kerrville Mountain Sun reported, "J. F. Mittanck is a new man on the force in the factory department of the American Creamery Company.  Mr. Mittanck returned to Kerrville three weeks ago after a several years absence spent at McAllen and Pleasanton, where he was engaged in the creamery business."
By 1940 Julius Mittanck was owner operator of a retail grocery company.

The Mittancks owned this house until February 1944 when it was sold to H. J. and Sophie Niehaus.

Today it is a commercial property.

700 Jefferson Street

While it has the look of a former residence, this ranch-style building at the corner of Sidney Baker and Jefferson streets was purpose-built for Dr. C. H. Borchers for his dental clinic in 1949. A photo of the building when new is below. Designed and constructed by Bob Hill, the building was erected at a cost of $13,000.

October 29, 1949 Kerrville Mountain Sun

His dental practice was here until May 1981 when he sold the building and moved to new offices.

You may be wondering why I would include such a "modern" building in this history blog.
One basic criterion for listing on the National Register of Historic Places is that a building be at least 50 years old.  While it isn't particularly notable otherwise, the building is older than that.  Besides, I was just curious!

713 Sidney Baker Street

This house across from Zion Lutheran Church is yet another Kerrville house that started out in a different location. It was probably built around 1900, making it more than a century old.

Henry J. Niehaus  received a permit in late September 1951 to move a house to 713 Sidney Baker, presumably this one. 
There were several ads in May and June 1951 advertising  buildings to be moved, including "large 6 room house to be moved or wrecked and removed from premises.  Lots of good material in this building.  John S. Atkins 202 Blue Bonnet Hotel." This is the description that most closely matches the pictured house.  But even knowing who may have owned it I have not yet been able to find where it was originally. Do any of my readers know?

218 Sidney Baker Street

While Kerrville has buildings that are older then they look, it also has buildings that are newer than they look.

This graceful building at 218 Sidney Baker Street, across from the new City Hall, went up in 1989 for the Radiation Therapy Treatment Center.  It was expanded in 1997 for the Kerrville Cancer Center.   Note that there are no doors on Sidney Baker Street.  Access is through the parking garage next door.