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2014-7 Remembrances Special Edition1 City of Schertz Remembrances Special Edition Article 2014-7 Presented by: Schertz Historical Preservation Committee Aviation Heights – Slow to Develop but a Lasting Impact We’ve all heard it said that he or she was “a late bloomer” but “blossomed into quite a remarkable person”. The same thought might be applied to one of the first Schertz neighborhoods known today as Aviation Heights. The neighborhood was first platted on October 28, 1928, a time when only a few city streets existed and a few hundred residents occupied the boundaries. Today, the neighborhood occupies 46 square blocks of what is the “heart” of the community. Its boundaries were set by the 1928 plat map as Curtis Street on the South, Aviation Street to the North, Randolph Avenue to the East, and Poplar Street to the West. The first occupants of the neighborhood were also the folks who served as leaders in the community and who contributed their time and talents to assure the city’s survival and growth. The neighborhood has been home to several of our mayors, councilmen, volunteer fire fighters, commission members, city workers, and Randolph Air Base civilian and military employees. The story of the neighborhood’s development is one of slow development but of lasting impact. The earliest Schertz settlers to have ownership of the land upon which Aviation Heights was to evolve were the Sebastian Schertz family. The Schertz family farm (cotton production) was a 307 acre property purchased by Sebastian on November 7, 1866. That land ownership was passed to Sebastian’s sons following his death (September 13, 1890) and the portion in discussion (Aviation Heights) eventually was to belong to Sebastian’s grandson Walter J. Schertz. Walter J. was among the citizens most prominently involved within the Schertz community at the time discussions were underway for establishing Randolph Field adjacent to the City of Schertz. At about the same time Randolph Field was decided upon, Walter J. joined with two other prominent Schertz citizens (Herbert P. Thulemeyer and C. W. Koch (Walter J’s brother-in-law) in a land development investment project which was to be named Aviation Heights. The trio believed that new housing would be needed to support the military and civilian employee families yet to be employed at Randolph Field. The depression years that followed the construction of Randolph Field (1930) and the slow growth of Air Force pilot training made for dim prospects of housing development at the Aviation Heights site. Mr. Thulemeyer and Mr. Koch eventually withdrew from the development partnership, leaving Walter J. Schertz the sole owner of the development project. During the 1930s, the project remained only a paper prospect and there was no actual home building. Upon the death of Walter J. Schertz (circa 1940), his only son Walter A. Schertz assumed management of the project. Upon Walter A’s return from duty in World War II he began to explore the possibility of reviving the Aviation Heights project. Walter A. realized that with the end of the War and the introduction of the GI Bill there would be a significant demand for housing by the returning veterans. 2 Walter A. Schertz was soon to learn that the City of Schertz was at a great disadvantage in any attempt to interest veterans in purchasing property in the community. The issue inhibiting land purchase by veterans was the fact that the community was not among those identified as eligible for homeowner VA/FHA guaranteed loans. Walter A. discovered that VA/FHA guaranteed property loans were available within the city limits of San Antonio (North to Hwy 410) but not to Schertz. The reason Schertz was not approved for VA/FHA loan guarantees was the fact that Schertz’s water supply was owned by a private firm (Schertz Family Water Works). Walter A. made many written appeals to then Senator Lyndon Johnson in the attempt to change the VA/FHA position. Finally, Walter A. was given a personal appointment to speak about the issue with the leadership of the Washington DC based VA/FHA. Walter A. met with the VA/FHA representatives at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC and at that meeting he was able to convince the leaders that the Schertz privately owned water system met the standards of the VA/FHA. He left the meeting with the leaders assured that Schertz would thereafter be granted approval for VA/FHA loan guarantees and such approvals were forthcoming. Soon after VA/FHA loan guarantees were secured lot sales began. By early 1950, home builders began to show interest in the development and building permits multiplied. Standard Homes was one of the early builders to complete sizable numbers of homes. By the mid-1960s homes filled the neighborhood and the subdivision was the hub of community life. Its citizens were the “movers and shakers” of the community and remained so for many decades into the future. The names given to streets and avenues of the subdivision were mainly chosen to honor aviators such as Randolph (Capt. William), Mitchell (Gen. Billy), Brooks (Sidney Johnson Jr.), Wright (Wright Brothers), Curtis (Gen. Lamey) and Lindbergh (Charles). The homes of the neighborhood date from the 1950s through the 1960s and are examples of the simple bungalow style of the period. The neighborhood is today the home of the longest tenured citizens of the Schertz community. The neighborhood is representative of the early cultural development of the Schertz community. It is the birthplace of Schertz community life and cultural development. Its place in the City’s history is such as to warrant discussion of it being named a “Schertz Heritage Neighborhood”.