San Antonio Water Works Pump Station No. 2
Also known as: Brackenridge Park Station; Millrace Building; Borglum Studio
Why it's listed
Built in 1885 as the second pumping station of the San Antonio Water Works, this limestone building sits in Brackenridge Park about two miles northeast of downtown San Antonio. It is a 36-by-36-foot, one-story structure on a raised basement, with rough-faced limestone walls, round-arched entrances and a timber-framed floor. A stuccoed, wood-frame addition from the early 1920s forms a T plan. The station served a system led by George W. Brackenridge, a banker and philanthropist who donated the surrounding park to the city. After the pump house was abandoned in 1915, sculptor Gutzon Borglum remodeled it as a studio, and his Mount Rushmore schematics were developed there. Painters Henry Lee McFee and Boyer Gonzales later taught art classes in the building, which was leased as a studio until 1961. It has been vacant since then. Its listing recognizes both its industrial architecture and its role in the city's early twentieth-century art community.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the building typifies late 19th century industrial architecture of the Southwest. It is tied to George W. Brackenridge, president of the San Antonio Water Works, and to the growth of San Antonio's art community, since sculptor Gutzon Borglum used it as a studio and later artists ran an art school there.
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 81000625, listed August 21, 1981. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Brackenridge Park, San Antonio |
|---|---|
| County | Bexar County |
| Listed | August 21, 1981 |
| Reference number | 81000625 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Areas of significance | Industry, Art |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Unoccupied; the former studio has been vacant since 1961. The building is in fair condition and has been altered. |
| Acreage | 0.3 |
| Within district | Brackenridge Park |
| Coordinates | 29.44879, -98.47688 (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.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 81000625.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q110001625
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.