Middle Floor

To the unacquainted, the middle floor of the Hermann Sons Home Association building brims with obscurity and intrigue. Those who inadvertently wander upstairs can only wonder what’s behind those old, heavy doors and may feel like they are going in circles.

This self-guided tour (by appointment only, please) will walk you through the points of interest on Floor 1 (AKA the middle floor):

Enter the building from S. St Mary’s Street and walk up 12 steps to the middle floor. When the building was initially built there were 13 steps in this approximate location, but they were on the building’s exterior. In 1938 the original facade of the building, including the steps, was enclosed by an expansion. Old photos show that the original steps had a wide landing at the halfway point; present-day steps do not.

From the top of the steps you will be able to discern the footprint of the original building by looking at the floor tiles. The perimeter of the hallway is skirted by small blue tiles that repeat “O D H S 1911” 34 times. O D H S stands for Orden der Hermann Soehne, the German name widely used before 1936. The building was constructed in 1911.

Lining the south wall at eye level are the names of hundreds of lodge members inscribed in “bricks.” These clear plastic “bricks” represent donations made by members in 1949 to help fund the bowling alley addition. According to Home Association records, 668 bricks were purchased by members and lodges at $10 apiece and were imprinted with the signature of the purchaser. You may recognize some names – Roy Akers and Fritz Schilo are among them, as well as Wurzbach and Toepperwein. Minus supplies and labor costs, the project raised $5209.27, the equivalent of over $65,000 by today’s prices. Initially the bricks were installed along the ramp to the lanes. In 1955 they were moved to their present location ahead of some bowling alley upgrades.

As you walk east to west, toward the bowling alley, you will pass a series of mysterious doors. To your right you will encounter a set of double doors; the left has a mouse-size “speakeasy door” at eye level that likely predates prohibition. Behind the double doors is a rather large wood-paneled meeting room that has hosted lodge business since 1911 amongst an interesting assortment of podiums, ashtrays, and big wooden chairs. Some of our oldest collections of member portraits are hanging on the walls. The room is still regularly used.

Further down the hall, on the left, is the Home Association office where you can usually find the building manager if you need to purchase monthly reserved parking or book the ballroom for your next big event.

The remaining doors lead to offices for 6 of the 8 San Antonio lodges, each one marked with the lodge name and its number that indicates the chronological order in which it was chartered, including Harmonia #1 chartered in 1861. The offices hold a century or more of lodge records and are still used regularly by lodge officers; the lodges are required to maintain detailed records of their meeting minutes, income, expenses, activities, and participation.

Anchoring the west end of the hall are the Hermann Sons bowling lanes, added in 1949, a reminder of a lively era in this building’s history and our mid-century members who had a desire to foster brotherhood and community.