New Braunfels | March 2025

Preserving the past From the cover

Downtown Historic District

Why it matters

Mill Street District

Stock District

Keva Hoffmann Boardman, a fifth-generation New Braunfels resident and programs coordinator for the Sophienburg Museum and Archives, can share the history of each building along the city’s streets. Cowboys & Cadillacs, a rooftop bar, opened in February at 125 N. Castell Ave. The building below it once housed a pharmacy and various shops, Hoffmann Boardman said. The Phoenix Saloon, at 193 W. San Antonio St., opened in 2010 in a building built in 1871 and was first used as a saloon under the same name. It was allegedly the first bar in Texas to allow women to drink, the site of chili powder’s creation, and home to an alligator pit and badger fights. It closed during Prohibition and was used for other businesses before reopening as a bar. In the 1800s, the Zum Schwarzen Walfisch opened in a wood building. The saloon moved and was replaced by the local newspaper. In 2007, new owners opened the Black Whale Saloon—the English translation of the original name—on the same site, although the building had changed, according to the new establishment. Many downtown historic district landmarks remain in active use as businesses. However, not every building has been saved. “We’ve demolished a lot, especially on this courthouse corner. We killed it,” Hoffmann Boardman said. For many locals, preserving historic downtown structures depends on making business viable in the space. “There has to be a balance because you have to do stuff that is cost-effective, or it is not going to happen. That’s when people just allow buildings to deteriorate,” said Lark Mason III, a member of Preserving New Braunfels.

ACADEMY AVE.

Sophienburg District

Nationally recognized historical buildings Historically designated by the city Downtown historic district boundary

Notable sites

1 McAdoo’s Seafood Company • 196 N. Castell Ave. • Opened: 1915 as a post office 2 Naegelin’s German Bakery • 129 S. Seguin Ave. • Opened: 1868 in a different location; moved to this location in 1870

W. CROSS ST.

MAP NOT TO SCALE NOTE: THIS LIST IS NOT COMPREHENSIVE N

3 Faust Hotel • 240 S. Seguin Ave. • Opened: 1929 under a different name; reopened after some remodeling in 2025

4 Henne Hardware • 246 W. San Antonio St. • Opened: 1893; hardware store operated until 2024

AMIRA VAN LEEUWEN/COMMUNITY IMPACT SOURCE: CITY OF NEW BRAUNFELS/COMMUNITY IMPACT

COURTESY TEXAS HISTORICAL COMMISSION

3/14 Cody Bolden Band 3/21 The Homebodies 3/26 Ryan Quiet

For more events or to rent an onsite cottage visit: www.rileystavern.com 8894 FM 1102 New Braunfels, TX 78132

COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM