The Carl Wilhelm August Groos House is located in the
Bexar County
Bexar County ( or ; es, Béxar ) is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. It is in South Texas and its county seat is San Antonio.
As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,009,324. Bexar County is included in the San Antonio–New Bra ...
city of
San Antonio
("Cradle of Freedom")
, image_map =
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, map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = United States
, subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State
, subdivision_name1 = Texas
, s ...
in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...
of
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
. It was designated a
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark (RTHL) is a designation awarded by the Texas Historical Commission for historically and architecturally significant properties in the U.S. state of Texas. RTHL is a legal designation and the highest honor the sta ...
in 1977.
Designed by
Alfred Giles in 1880, the building contractor was John H. Kampmann. Giles used a Victorian
Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...
on this limestone home. Groos had immigrated from
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
to Texas in 1848, at which time he and his brothers started a freighting firm. In 1871, he built the
Carl W. A. Groos House in
New Braunfels
New Braunfels ( ) is a city in Comal County, Texas, Comal and Guadalupe County, Texas, Guadalupe counties in the U.S. state of Texas known for its German Texan heritage. It is the county seat, seat of Comal County. The city covers and had a popula ...
. In 1872, he and his family settled in San Antonio. Groos married Hulda Amalie Moureau and became a founding member of the Groos National Bank. In 1880, Groos hired Giles to build his San Antonio home. It is listed on the
as a contributing structure of the King William Historic District.
Groos died in 1893.
[ In 1957, the house was purchased by the San Antonio Council of the ]Girl Scouts of the USA
Girl Scouts of the United States of America (GSUSA), commonly referred to as simply Girl Scouts, is a youth organization for girls in the United States and American girls living abroad. Founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912, it was organized a ...
. The Girl Scouts sold the home to Charles Butt
Charles Clarence Butt (born February 3, 1938) is an American heir and billionaire. He inherited his family's San Antonio–based H-E-B supermarket chain in 1971. The privately held company has more than 300 stores and $31 billion in sales, acc ...
. It has been restored and is in private ownership.
See also
*
* Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Bexar County
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Groos, Carl
Houses completed in 1880
Houses in San Antonio
German-American culture in Texas
Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks
New Braunfels, Texas
Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Texas
History of San Antonio
National Register of Historic Places in San Antonio
Historic district contributing properties in Texas