History
of The
Leeper House

home | photos | newsletter | Leeper House | wildlife | visit | bird banding | join | links

The known history of the property starts in 1848 when Gonifacio Rodriguez received the Headright Certificate for a large property of land that contained most of Terrell Hills and Terrell Heights and west up to at least Broadway.

The property changed hands several times between then and 1921 when Dr. Donald T. Adkinson purchased it. The property included a farmhouse on what was then called Sunset Hills. Marion Koogler McNay, a widow since 1918 when Mr. McNay died, married Dr. Donald Taylor Atkinson on May 18, 1926. Atkinson was a San Antonio ophthalmologist. Shortly after their marriage, the Doctor and his wife began constructing the mansion, which would be completed in 1929. The couple lived in the farmhouse during the mansion's construction. We have studied a photo at the Institute of Texan Cultures library from 1930 that includes the farmhouse or what we call the "Leeper" House next to the mansion. The photo gave us an idea of what the house originally looked like before it was added on to extensively in the 50's and 60's.

We weren't able to pinpoint the construction date of the Leeper House because of a lack of a tax number for the McNay property, but we uncovered some good clues. Louis Fisher, an architect with Fisher, Heck and Imbimbo, told my mother that the house is an example of Colonial Revival style. He points out that the column is very simple. Prior to 1910, columns were more ornate. Also, we spotted a house at 2409 South Flores which has a very similar porch, moulding and pitch of roof. We found that house in the City Directory as being built in 1910.

Oral histories gathered by the McNay indicate that upon completion of the mansion, groundskeeper and other employees may have lived in the farmhouse. Mrs. McNay divorced Dr. Atkinson in 1936 and married a succession of 3 other husbands, but always retained her first married name, McNay. She had a strong sense of patriotism and during World War II, converted portions of the mansions into apartments and built smaller structures surrounding the mansion to be rented to service men and their families. The "Leeper House" was among those rental properties.

Following Mrs. McNay's death in 1950, the mansion underwent the transition from home to art museum. John Palmer Leeper and his wife Blanche along with their daughter moved into the farmhouse as he became the first director of the museum in 1954. The house had several additions tacked onto it to increase its square footage. He remained there until his death in 1994 and now the house bears his name.

In the spring of 2000, the house was moved from its original position to allow the museum to add on an air-conditioning building to protect the valuable museum pieces. It now sits about 200 feet west of its original position and is on the mover's skids. All of the sheetrock has been removed from the rooms as it contained asbestos in the joint caulk. Asbestos siding was also removed from some of the add-on sections. The chimney and mantle have been removed as they rested on a different foundation. The house is designed for pier and beam foundation.

The Leeper House on mover's skids.

Why the Mitchell Lake Wetlands Board Believes the Leeper is a viable option.

1. We often here the phrase- RECYCLE, REDUCE AND REUSE when talking about how to help the environment. This is exactly what using the Leeper House would accomplish.
2. It's in very good structural shape- we'd use the central box.
3. Green Renovation techniques could be used to renovate the house- techniques which will be described by Stephen Colley a little later.
4. By using the house's basic floor plan, planning is simplified and the length of time it takes to bring the project to completion is reduced. Ernie Roney who was the assistant director of the San Antonio Zoo and who is president of MLWS says that in his experience, it would take 3 - 5 years to implement, actually build out an exhibit or building, at the zoo.
5. Finally, using the Leeper House opens us up to recognition and partnerships with other organizations in the city- most obvious, the San Antonio Conservation Society and the McNay. We get "on the map" so to speak.

References: Ann Jones at the McNay Art Museum Library Archives
Internet: The Handbook of Texas On-Line
http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/view/MM/klm2.html