San Antonio Humble Gas Station Wins National 'This Place Matters' Contest. (original) (raw)

When San Antonio native Mark Louis Rybczyk included a forlorn little building in his excellent San Antonio Uncovered, we doubt if he knew what he was starting. After reading about the building, we interviewed Mr. Rybczyk who graciously allowed us to use his text.

On our next visit to San Antonio we looked the building up (Address: 1091 S. Laredo) and found it hiding in plain sight beneath a gargantuan billboard.

After publishing photos of the place we received several requests for directions from photographers and even an inquiry from the U. S. Department of the Interior.

Early (1:10 a.m.) on November 3rd, 2009, San Antonio native Sarah Reveley wrote to inform us that the station was a finalist in the National Trust for Historic Preservation�s �This Place Matters� contest. A second email arrived shortly thereafter informing us that the station had won.

The cracked and fissured utilitarian building was up against some stiff competition. Other entries included an intersection in Birmingham made famous in music (Tuxedo Junction), a hiking path in Hawaii, an Alaskan monument, a cemetery in Georgia and eight other places that mattered to someone.

When the dust settled, the station had secured 26% of the vote, edging out the Georgia Cemetery and a 1939 Coast Guard boathouse in Door County, Wisconsin. (Second and Third Place, respectively.)

Our thanks to Mr. Rybczyk for writing about the building, Sarah Reveley for notifying us of its winning and (San Antonio native) Terry Jeanson who photographed the building specifically for this update.

If any residents love their town more than the people of San Antonio love their town, we�re unaware.

- Editor, November 4, 2009

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