River walk
Third day driving across Texas on Route 10
Hot hot hot
BBQ at Rudy's just outside San Antonio
Spending the night in Van Horn at the El Capitan Hotel:
According to the excellent Architecture in Texas 1895-1945 by Jay C. Henry, the El Capitan was perhaps the finest example of Pueblo Revival Style in Texas. Examples are rare, and it's entirely possible that the building is the last of its kind in Texas.
In the 1920s, architecture was changing to accommodate the independent motorist. Gas stations and out-of-the-way hotels opened up where it was unthinkable just a few years earlier. Their remote locations made them full-service out of necessity, but in a few years, "tourist courts" made their appearance and then motor hotels. The two words became motel after WWII, although there are a few photographs showing the word in use as early as 1936.
The Pueblo Revival Style enjoyed greater popularity in New Mexico, than Texas. The Franciscan Hotel in Albuquerque, built by the same architects of the El Capitan was the high-water mark of this style in 1921.
While the Franciscan has been razed, another example of this style is found in Marfa. The El Paisano was constructed by Trost and Trost in 1926. The
Paisano is still open at 207 N. Highland in Marfa, with 9 rooms for rent.
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