An Archaeological Investigation of the Claudius King House, San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas

The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) Center for Archaeological Research (CAR), in response to a request from Stillwater Capital, conducted an archaeological investigation for the Dr. Claudius E. R. King House (King House) moving project, located at 819 Augusta Street, San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas. The work was completed between March and May of 2019, and it consisted of backhoe trenching within the Area of Potential Effect (APE). The APE was 0.28 hectares (0.7 acres). It is located within New City Block (NCB) 821, which is owned by Stillwater Capital, and is being developed as a five-story, multi-family complex. The footprint of this new complex will occupy the entire city block. As a consequence, construction has effectively impacted all above and below grade cultural remnants. The project is privately funded and is located on privately owned property. As a result, the project was not subject to regulatory review by the Texas Historical Commission (THC). However, the King House is a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark (RTHL), and it is listed as a Local Historic Landmark (LHR). The project is subject to regulatory review by the City of San Antonio (COSA) Office of Historic Preservation (OHP) because the house lies within the River Improvement Overlay, District 2 (RIO-2; COSA 2019b). The project falls under the COSA's Unified Development Code (Article 6 35-630 to 35-634). Dr. Paul Shawn Marceaux, CAR Director, served as the Principal Investigator and managed the project until his departure from CAR, at which time Dr. Raymond Mauldin took over the Principal Investigator role. José Zapata served as the Project Archaeologist. The results of the backhoe trenching were negative, and no features were located. There were no artifacts collected. Dr. Claudius E. R. King (1839-1919) was a prominent San Antonio physician. Constructed in 1880, his house was designed by renowned architect Alfred Giles. Given the site's historical and architectural significance, the project did record the King House, site 41BX2314. CAR recommends no additional testing within the APE and that development proceed, as this site holds no additional research value. In the event that additional construction reveals archaeological deposits, work should cease, and the City Archaeologist of the COSA-OHP should be notified. The COSA-OHP reviewed the report and agreed with the recommendations presented. All project documentation, including photographs, field forms, and a copy of this report are permanently curated at the CAR facilities in accession file 2197.