H and H Coffee

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

British-born architect who practiced in San Antonio from the 1870s until his death in 1920. One of the most prolific architects of the Victorian and early Progressive-era city. Relevant to the H&H Coffee Factory project as the designer of two buildings directly connected to the firm’s history.

H&H-relevant commissions

Caffarelli Brothers wholesale grocery building, 307 North Medina Street — designed by Giles for the Caffarelli Brothers. Hoffmann-Hayman Coffee Company moved into this building in November 1912 (see event: Hoffmann-Hayman moves to Caffarelli building), making it H&H’s first purpose-fit facility after leaving the back-room West Commerce location. H&H described the building in its 1913 “To the Trade” advertisement as “fireproof,” with more than 4,000 square feet of roasting space. The address remained H&H’s primary location through the Morrison acquisition (1917) and into the early 1920s.

Menger Hotel — 1909 addition — Giles designed an addition to the Menger Hotel on Alamo Plaza, continuing his long association with the most prominent commercial property on the plaza. The Menger Hotel’s connection to H&H runs through the Menger family who controlled H&H from 1920; the hotel-side Mengers (Gus R. Menger, L. B. Menger documented in the August 1923 SA Light) were distinct from the H&H siblings.

Career notes

Giles arrived in San Antonio from England and established a practice that spanned over four decades. His commissions included institutional, commercial, and residential work across the city. He is particularly associated with the Romanesque and late-Victorian commercial streetscape of downtown San Antonio.

Open questions

  • Exact Giles birth year and English origin city (he arrived in San Antonio c. 1873)
  • Whether H&H had any professional relationship with Giles directly, or dealt solely with the Caffarelli Brothers as building owners
  • Documentation of the 1909 Menger Hotel addition scope and Giles’s role on that project

See also