H and H Coffee

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

Cover image pending capture.

By Lewis F. Fisher · 1996 · Texas Tech University Press (presumed; verify in-hand)

Bibliographic detail

  • Title: Saving San Antonio: The Precarious Preservation of a Heritage (full subtitle to be confirmed in-hand)
  • Author: Lewis F. Fisher
  • Year: 1996
  • Publisher: Texas Tech University Press (presumed — Fisher’s standard publisher for SA preservation works; verify on title page)
  • ISBN: TBD — to be confirmed in-hand
  • Pagination: TBD — to be confirmed in-hand
  • Format: Hardcover (presumed; verify in-hand)

Physical description

Lewis F. Fisher’s preservation-history of San Antonio; standard scholarly-popular trade publication. Fisher’s voice is straightforwardly narrative — preservation politics, building-by-building accounts, civic figures.

Provenance

Physically in-hand prior to formal library accessioning; registered to the library 2026-05-24. Original purchase date and source not separately recorded. Accessioned as HH-BOOK-2026-0011.

Why it matters

Saving San Antonio is the canonical narrative of how San Antonio’s built environment survived (or didn’t) across decades of growth, neglect, and renewal. For H and H research, it functions as the civic backdrop volume explaining which downtown blocks were preserved, demolished, or rebuilt during the H and H operating decades and after.

Specifically valuable for:

  1. The 601 Delaware Street area lifecycle — Fisher’s coverage of the downtown / near-downtown industrial blocks may discuss the Delaware Street corridor or the Mi Tierra / Market Square area where the Master Chef Coffee sign continues to be visible.
  2. The 1223 W. Commerce / 307 N. Medina / 331 Burnett address sequence — H and H’s pre-Delaware addresses (1912–1923) sit in districts that figure in Fisher’s preservation narrative.
  3. Period-specific preservation crises — when did specific blocks come under demolition pressure? Was H and H’s factory ever in a preservation fight? Fisher’s index would surface direct mentions.
  4. River-adjacent property history — H and H’s water sourcing and proximity to the San Antonio River sit in the same civic story.

Pairs in the library with Downtown San Antonio (Korte & Pech, 2013) (Arcadia visual timeline) and Historic Photos of San Antonio (Faulkner, 2007) (large-format photo book) as the SA preservation reference triple — Fisher provides the narrative, the photo books provide the visual.

Notable contents

  • Building-by-building preservation accounts.
  • Civic figures in the SA preservation movement.
  • Period-specific preservation crises and outcomes.
  • Maps of preservation districts and demolished landmarks (typical Fisher format).

Open questions

  • Does the book index mention Hoffmann, Hayman, H and H, or any H and H address?
  • What does it say about the Delaware Street / Market Square / Commerce Street corridors during the H and H operating decades?
  • Does it document the preservation of the Mi Tierra / Cortez area where the Master Chef sign survives?

Related: Downtown San Antonio (Korte & Pech, 2013) · Historic Photos of San Antonio (Faulkner, 2007) · The History and Mystery of the Menger Hotel (Williams, 2000) · 601 Delaware Street · Library