H and H Coffee

Dedicated to the history of the Hoffmann-Hayman Coffee Co. founded 1899 in San Antonio, Texas.

Downtown San Antonio cover

By Joan Marston Korte and David L. Pech · foreword by Julian Castro · 2013 · Arcadia Publishing (Images of America series)

Bibliographic detail

  • Title: Downtown San Antonio
  • Authors: Joan Marston Korte and David L. Pech; foreword by Julian Castro
  • Year: 2013
  • Publisher: Arcadia Publishing — Images of America series
  • ISBN: TBD — to be confirmed in-hand
  • Pagination: TBD — to be confirmed in-hand (Arcadia Images of America volumes are typically ~128 pp)
  • Format: Paperback; standard Arcadia Images of America trim (~6¾″ × 9½″)

Physical description

Standard Images of America softcover format from Arcadia Publishing: glossy paperback with a heritage-toned cover photograph. Format is captioned photographs paired with short chapter introductions; densely illustrated rather than narrative-heavy.

Provenance

Physically in-hand prior to formal library accessioning; registered to the library 2026-05-24 under the broader library buildout. Original purchase date and source not separately recorded. Accessioned as HH-BOOK-2026-0005.

Why it matters

Downtown San Antonio is the visual timeline companion to the textual sources on the SA business district. The Arcadia Images of America format pairs captioned photographs with short chapter intros — useful for placing H and H factory and office addresses in their period streetscape context.

Specifically valuable for:

  1. The 1223 W. Commerce address (1912–c.1916) — H and H’s first post-charter plant address; period downtown / near-downtown photos may show signage or the building.
  2. The 601 Delaware Street address (long H and H operating period) — Delaware Street’s evolution and adjacent businesses; the Mi Tierra / Cortez Family commercial district visible in some downtown photos.
  3. Period business signage and storefronts — comparative material for the SA newspaper-clipping signage research thread.
  4. Architectural and infrastructure context — when H and H buildings or adjacent landmarks appear unattributed in other photographs, this book’s caption inventory may help identify them.

Pairs in the library with Historic Photos of San Antonio (Faulkner 2007 — large-format photo book) and Saving San Antonio (Fisher 1996 — preservation history) as the SA visual / preservation reference triple.

Notable contents

  • Photographic chapters by period and district — typical Arcadia structure.
  • Foreword by Julian Castro (San Antonio mayor 2009–2014; HUD Secretary 2014–2017) — adds civic-history framing.

Open questions

  • Does the book picture the 601 Delaware Street block? A close read for Delaware Street, near-downtown industrial blocks, or the Mi Tierra area would settle this.
  • Does any photo caption mention Hoffmann, Hayman, or H and H by name?

Related: Historic Photos of San Antonio · Saving San Antonio · Greater San Antonio: City of Destiny (c.1915) · 601 Delaware Street · Library