Fairmount Hotel, The
Why it's listed
Built in 1906 for Veronica and Theodore Felix, this three-story hotel was designed by architect Leo M. J. Dielmann and constructed by contractor J. P. Haynes. Red brick with limestone trim, cast iron columns and Romanesque-inspired arches define its street facades. It served traveling salesmen, called drummers, who arrived by rail, and later became a boarding house for semi-permanent residents. Over the decades the ground floor held shops, including a long-running furniture store. Surrounding blocks were cleared, and in 1985 the building was lifted onto dollies and moved roughly six blocks to make way for street widening and the Rivercenter development. It was then rehabilitated, with a new addition completed in 1986, and now operates as a 37-room hotel. It was listed because it is a rare, well-preserved survivor of the small commercial hotels that once lined downtown San Antonio's main avenues, and because of its fine architectural detailing.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it one of the last small "drummer" hotels left in San Antonio and an intact example of a medium-size turn-of-the-century commercial building. It has fine Romanesque detailing and local building materials. Its importance has grown as comparable neighboring buildings were demolished or defaced.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 88000753, listed June 30, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 401 S. Alamo, San Antonio |
|---|---|
| County | Bexar County |
| Listed | June 30, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88000753 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1900- |
| Architect / builder | J.P. Haynes/Leo M. J. Dielmann |
| Architectural style | Romanesque stylistic references |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied and in use as a 37-room hotel with restaurant, bar and conference facilities after a 1986 rehabilitation and new addition; the building was moved in 1985. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | La Villita Historic District |
| Coordinates | 29.42050, -98.48837 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 88000753.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5430647
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.