{"nrhp_refnum":"74002324","name":"Mission San Francisco de la Espada (Boundary Increase)","other_names":["See Also:Mission San Francisco de la Espada"],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"Espada Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"San Antonio","county":"Bexar County","state":"TX","lat":29.317732056000068,"lon":-98.45015856772417,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1974-01-28","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry"],"significance_levels":["national","state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A boundary increase to Mission San Francisco de la Espada in San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas, adding about five acres that contain four cylindrical lime kilns just northeast of the mission compound, beside the San Antonio River flood plain.","why_significant":"The kilns are described as the only known kilns surviving from the Spanish colonial period in Texas. Lime from burning local limestone was used as mortar in the earliest permanent buildings at other San Antonio missions, so the same use is expected here. The kilns are dated to between the 1740s and the 1770s, possibly as early as about 1740.","narrative":"Four cylindrical lime kilns lie along a fairly steep bank beside the San Antonio River flood plain, just northeast of Mission San Francisco de la Espada in San Antonio, Texas. The bank, lined with clay, forms the south side of each kiln, while built-up clay walls on the north, or stream side, complete the round shape. The kilns measure between 1.45 and 2 meters in diameter, and their walls rise to roughly 1.5 meters above ground. They are described as the only known kilns surviving from the Spanish colonial period in Texas. Lime made by burning local limestone served as a cementing agent in the masonry of the earliest permanent buildings at some of the other San Antonio missions, so the same use is anticipated here. The kilns are dated to the 1740s through the 1770s, and possibly as early as about 1740. Their addition expanded the mission's protected area by approximately five acres.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"The kilns survive with walls standing to a maximum exposed height of about 1.5 meters.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:18.981641-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/76/9710/40971076/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/74002324.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74002324/59c934f6e2-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74002324/59c934f6e2-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Liveon001 © Travis K.Witt","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mission_Espada_Chapel2.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Liveon001 © Travis K.Witt</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mission_Espada_Chapel2.JPG"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"75001953","name":"Mission Parkway","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/texas/mission-parkway-75001953/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40971076","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission_San_Francisco_de_la_Espada","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2393728"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/bexar-county/mission-san-francisco-de-la-espada-boundary-increase-74002324/"}