Austin Highway Through the Decades

Austin Highway Through the Decades

Submission by Richard Nasis

Hundreds of locals travel Austin Highway daily, not realizing the history of this storied stretch of road. Today, Alamo Heights high schoolers have lunch at Chick-fil-A, and busy Moms run errands at Target. Previous generations did the same, enjoying a bean burger and a Chihuahua dog at Sills Shake Shack, or Triple S, and purchasing household necessities at JC Penney in Terrell Plaza. Some recall a smaller San Antonio when this portion of interstate highway was a lively and thriving urban lifestyle center, just as La Cantera and the Pearl were in 2026.

Before supermarkets and chain stores, portions of Austin Highway were one of the oldest and most significant roads in Texas. The Camino Real or “royal road” served as a principal route from Mexico to Texas and Louisiana states. Its colonial past dates to Spanish explorer Domingo Teran de los Rios who served as the first governor of Texas in the late 1600s. A marker erected in 1936 in the 1700 block commemorates the 1842 Dawson Massacre. This nearby battle between Texan and Mexican forces is a milestone in state independence. Originally designated State Hwy 2, it was one of the original 25 state highways and evolved into a key corridor between San Antonio and northern cities.

Many regard the 1950s-1970s as the heydays of Austin Highway. The automobile meant independence, family vacations, and motor courts. These overnight lodgings sprawled with swimming pools, coffee shops, and parking adjacent to your room. The Alpine, Belvedere, Swan Courts, Aloha, and Skyline motels all offered respite for weary travelers. The Westerner boasted a beauty salon for ladies to maintain their updos. The upscale Sevenoaks hotel became a Sheraton property and featured a golf course, tennis courts, and a popular nightclub. It was a premier setting for San Antonio events, hosting Senators Lyndon B Johnson, John F. Kennedy and well-known celebrities.

People and travel also meant food. One could celebrate with a special dinner or grab a quick bite. Actor John Wayne frequented Big John’s restaurant and the Tee Pee served “..steaks cooked the old-fashioned Texas Ranch Style way and served by old-fashioned, faithful and respectful servants.” The building and sign for the Bun and Barrel still sit next door to a Thai restaurant. Once considered “the” place for dates in the 1950s, the classic drive-in feels like a ghost keeping watch, full of memories. Date nights often included a movie and shenanigans at the Alamo Drive-In Theater. Built in the 1940s, it included parking for hundreds of cars as well as open-air, individual patron seating.

Austin Highway set the stage, so to speak, for colorful bars and nightclubs in the 1960s and 1970s. The Classic Cat, Dirty Sally’s, Time Out, and Lamp Post Inn reflected changing city ordinances. Annual private club memberships, sometimes for as low as $1.00, allowed mostly male patrons to partake in a drink and socialize.

Inevitably, time moves on. IH 35 was developed, and Austin Highway became less efficient. Walmart sits where Sevenoaks presided, the adjacent drive-in theater gave way to a flea market, Target replaced Waitz Model Market, and JC Penney. The road bisecting Terrell and Blue Bonnet Hills in 78209 lost magic as the city grew in all ways. Driving down Austin Highway, you can still make out what once was. Remnants of old motor courts, some motels open for business, and defunct business signs are telltale signs. It’s somehow comforting to think this could be the setting for the glory days of new generations. Now you can grab good Thai or Vietnamese food, bowl a game or two, and still buy an excellent frozen yogurt and Texas Steak all along Austin Highway.

Richard Nasis graduated from TMI, then Texas Military Institute, with the last class at the Alamo Heights campus on College Blvd.

Growing up in San Antonio, he recalls Sunday meals at Lubys across from HEB Central Market, dance classes at Amory Oliver and grocery store visits to Waitz Model Market on Austin Hwy. He has son who is currently a sophomore at Alamo Heights High School playing lacrosse and a daughter who graduated in 2025 attending Texas Tech