Why Did San Antonio's Most Famous Brothel Lose Its Historic Designation?
Behind a grid of downtown hotels sits a building now known as 503 Urban Loop. It most recently served as Father Flanagans Boys Town. Before that, it was the Carmelite Sisters Day Nursery. And before that it was Madam Fannie Porters female boarding house  a brothel. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid of Wild West fame hid out there. The business changed hands between other madams, too, when sex work was legally recognized by the city. It was built in 1883 for Aurelia Dashiell and has several Spanish Eclectic additions. That was all before the two-story structure was bought by the Miller Investment Group, which, alongside Card and Company architects, wants the former brothel and orphanage demolished and replaced with a residential high-rise. Douglas Miller of the Bill Miller Bar-B-Q chain manages the Miller Investment Group. In early May 2021, the structure was up for discussion in a Historic Design and Review Commission (HDRC) meeting. Several San Antonio-based organizations, including the Conservation Society and the Westside Preservation Alliance (WPA), spoke out to save the building. Part of the historic significance of 503 Urban Loop and the surrounding blocks is that they speak of a whole fabric of sociocultural and economic activities of working class labor, including that of Mexican American and African American women sex workers  and predominantly euro American madams, Donna Guerra, a member of the WPA, told TPR. Luckily, for Guerra and other San Antonians who want to save the building, 503 Urban Loop was designated historic. And the citys Office of Historic Preservation (OHP) staff did not recommend demolition to HDRC. But sometime between that meeting in early May and now, the structure lost its historic designation. After further researching the available records, we determined that the designation for 503 Urban Loop is likely an error that occurred about 30 years ago, wrote OHP Director Shanon Miller in a statement to TPR. Documents intended to prove the propertys historic worth apparently grouped it with the nearby Immaculate Heart of Mary complex. When this was brought up to OHP staffers, an ordinance tying the two properties together couldnt be found. Given all of the information available, we did not feel it would be good practice to treat the property as a currently designated landmark, Miller said. This changes the review process, but the HDRC would still have to approve the new construction. Advocates for the buildings survival dont want new construction to completely replace the former brothel and orphanage which, until this week, was known as a historic landmark. Vincent Michael, executive director for the Conservation Society of San Antonio, said OHP has the evidence needed to prove 503 Urban Loops historic impact. It's sort of like a 30-year-old clerical error or something, he said. But still, they have all the information that proves its significant.  And HDRC does have the ability to request a Finding of Historic Significance, according to Miller. Both the Westside Preservation Alliance and the Conservation Society want to see that request fulfilled. While there are broken windows and garbage throughout the property  it appears to be structurally intact. You're not seeing so much the 1883 body, but it's in there and, amazingly, the application from the owners to demolish it included very detailed drawings of what were the original walls, Michael said. And to me, it's a classic, you know, half glass, half empty. They see it as Its almost gone. As someone who studies historic architecture, I see a lot of it there.  There is no historic signage or marker outside the building today, and Michael thinks people dont know its story. 1 of 3  The back of 503 Urban Loop. Additions to the original structure were built in 1931, 1951 and 1963. | Bri Kirkham, Texas Public Radio 2 of 3  The 503 Urban Loop structure is boarded and graffitied. | Bri Kirkham, Texas Public Radio 3 of 3  The former sign from Father Flannigan's Boys Town is turned backward at 503 Urban Loop. | Bri Kirkham, Texas Public Radio  Fannie Porter was a sex worker who eventually became a madam at the turn of the 20th Century. She lived in this house for four to five years, Michael said. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid were part of the Hole in the Wall gang," he explained. "The Wild Bunch that were essentially Wild West outlaws  romanticized a little in the movies  but they famously used this (503 Urban Loop) as a hideaway, a place to gather together and before they split up.  They robbed banks, they robbed trains.  There are other details to the structures history that are less known. There are more women  while less famous than Porter  who operated the same brothel. And Guerra with the Westside Preservation Alliance said that neighboring properties were socioeconomically connected to 503 Urban Loop. Romana Ramos, for example, was a midwife at 315 Matamoros Street  Casa de Maternidad  during the same period. We believe that it is no coincidence that 503 Urban Loop is just around the corner from Romana Ramos, Guerra said. The needs of unplanned pregnancies of sex workers, and having a home for the infants and giving birth to them really starts to make sense when you look at the history of Barrio Laredito.  315 Matamoros doesnt exist anymore. Much of Barrio Laredito  a neighborhood west of San Pedro Creek  has disappeared following Urban Renewal actions in San Antonio during the 1970s. When we think about the history of the Red-Light District, we overemphasize whiteness, Lilia Rosas, Ph.D, said. The professor at the University of Texas at Austins Department of Mexican American and Latina/o studies explained that people often want the history of sex workers to fit into a narrative of Wild West outlaws. Legends of America A photo of Fannie Porter believed to be taken in 1901 in San Antonio. If we start to demystify it in the realm of erotica, we see people who are just making a living, Rosas said. Similarly, Guerra said famous people shouldnt be the only ones included in history; ordinary people who make a difference in their communities should be included, too. Both Guerra and Michael said their organizations want to see the Finding of Historic Significance come to fruition. While the current property owners said the cost to repair the entire existing structure would be too great, there was a possibility for partial demolition. Jonathan Card, the architect, declined TPR's interview requests. Michael pointed to different opportunities that could be addressed with the additions on the original building. You could make that argument. They (property owners) don't make that argument. If you're building a new high-rise, you can get up close to the highway and create plenty of sound barriers. I mean, that's not too hard to do. And you've got some areas to the south. It's not a small site, so I think you can do both, he said. The official state historian of Arizona  who has ancestral ties to Texas  has some ideas. Fannie Porter was a respected, respected businesswoman. It's amazing that the building is still around. Her business should have been turned into a museum, said Marshall Trimble, who also writes for True West Magazine. The future of 503 Urban Loop is not yet known. And its history also seems to be hazy  or at least the significance of it. And that causes Rosas and others to wonder: If Fannie Porter was historic before, why isnt she now?  David Martin Davies contributed to this story. TPR was founded by and is supported by our community. If you value our commitment to the highest standards of responsible journalism and are able to do so, please consider making your gift of support today.