Woodward, David J. and May Bock, House
a.k.a. Woman's Club of San Antonio Clubhouse
1717 San Pedro Ave., San Antonio, TXThe David J. and May Bock Woodward House/ Woman's Club of San Antonio Clubhouse was built in 1904-1905 by local businessman and building contractor David Woodward to be his last family home. With assistance from May Bock Woodward, Atlee B. Ayres, one of San Antonio's most noteworthy and prolific architects, designed the house in the Classical Revival style on a prominent site at San Pedro Avenue and French Place in the prestigious Alta Vista subdivision. The Woman's Club of San Antonio acquired the house in 1926 following the death of David Woodward. It has served as the clubhouse and center of activity for this community organization for almost seventy years. The property is eligible at the local level under Criterion A in the area of Social History for its association with the Woman's Club of San Antonio, Criterion B for its association with David J. Woodward, and Criterion C in the area of Architecture as an excellent example of early 20th century Classical Revival domestic architecture in San Antonio. The name, the David J. and May Bock Woodward House/The Woman's Club of San Antonio Clubhouse, is derived from the names of the only two owners of the property since it was constructed on the edge of what was then the city of San Antonio. At the top of a rise overlooking the center of San Antonio, just north of San Pedro Springs, Mr. Woodward bought as many as ten lots in the Alta Vista subdivision for the construction of his new home and associated outbuildings. He later developed or sold all the lots he did not use. At the turn of the century, Alta Vista and its neighboring subdivision, Monte Vista, were attractive locations for San Antonio's wealthiest citizens to build new houses. Although at the edge of town in 1900, San Antonio was the state's largest city with a population of 53,321 and the city quickly engulfed the new subdivisions. The Woodward House is now in the center of San Antonio which has grown to encompass all of Bexar County with a population of nearly one million people.
Local significance of the building:Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1996.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.