La Villita was originally the site of a Coahuiltecan Indian village and later the location of the huts belonging to Spanish soldiers assigned to the presidio of San Antonio de Bexar and the Alamo. Although the site developed into a permanent settlement after the flood of 1819, the area declined into a slum by the 1920s. Even La Villita's most historic building, the house where Mexican General Martin Perfecto de Cos surrendered to a Texan army in 1835, suffered from neglect.

Fortunately, the Conservation Society saw the potential for reviving the “Little Village” and made the restoration of Villita Street and the Cos House a priority. Newly elected Mayor Maury Maverick became not only an ally, but the driving force behind the 1939 — 1940 restoration project. The Society later purchased and restored four buildings within the historic district.

Between 2000 and 2012, the Society contributed roughly $573,000 in NIOSA revenue to the ongoing maintenance of structures in La Villita. During this time, the Cos House received a new roof and front door, plus some much needed repair to an adobe wall.

Courtesy of the San Antonio Conservation Society Foundation.

1994—0300