Even after Alamo Plaza became a bustling center of commerce in the late 1870s, the northern end remained less developed than the rest of the plaza. In 1890, the federal government constructed the first major structure at this location in the form of a three-story post office and federal building designed by J. Riely Gordon; the same architect who later designed the Bexar County Courthouse.

Looking northeast at the U.S. Post Office and Courthouse. The sign for the Alamo Hotel Café hangs from the roof of the Crockett Block, with the balconies of the Maverick Bank visible beyond. At right, the various modes of transportation - walking, riding horses, bicycles, wagons, and streetcars - provide a sense of the plaza's modern bustle. An early automobile even sits curbside at the main entrance to the post office.

Courtesy of San Antonio Conservation Society Foundation