
Diaz House, 1840


The house at the corner of Arciniega and S. Presa is named for Juana Diaz, the first owner of the land. Behind the Diaz House stands another historic home, the ca. 1850 Elmendorf-Taylor House, built by Heino Staffel. Miss Stella Elmendorf Taylor, a descendent of the Staffels, owned the house for many years. San Antonio architects Ford, Powell, and Carson incorporated the two properties, along with the Staffel House on S. Presa Street, into the grounds of the adjoining hotel complex in 1979.