When the San Antonio Riverwalk comes up in discussion, so does the name Robert H.H.Hugman, and so it should. After all, he is referred to as “The Father of the Riverwalk”
However, there is another name synonymous with the success of the Riverwalk as we know it today. That name is David Jay Straus.
David Jay Straus….Legacy magazine
Today marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of David Jay Straus. He was born in San Antonio, and grew up on the 1,000 acre La Cima Ranch, which his father later sold, and today this is the site of the USAA Headquarters in San Antonio. He went to high school at the Texas Military Institute (TMI) and then went to continue his studies at Dartmouth College.
At the age of 19 he enlisted in the Marine Corps and served as a Second Lieutenant in Okinawa. Following this campaign the First Marine Division was ordered to China to assist with the repatriation of almost 3/4 of a million Korean and Japanese citizens who had remained in China at the completion of WW II
In all, David J. Straus served as a veteran of three wars and was the recipient of numerous awards and decorations
Photo: San Antonio Report
Back in San Antonio he became the third generation to lead the Straus-Frank Co, which had its beginnings as the L. Frank Saddlery store in 1870.
San Antonio Daily Light
As transportation evolved, so did the company, and and the Straus-Frank Co. became distributors for tires, automobile parts, Remington guns and Frigidaire appliances
San Antonio Daily Light
In 2004, the Straus-Frank Co (also known as Strafco) with David Straus at the helm, joined with General Parts Inc (GPI) to become CARQUEST
David J. Straus…legacy.com
While running a successful company for a total of 58 years, David Straus also earned the reputation as a shining light in San Antonio, by his involvement with numerous projects and organizations over the decades.
The original concept of the San Antonio Riverwalk is attributed to Robert H.H.Hugman, and his plan to not only help protect the city from future flooding events, but also to provide a world-famous attraction to San Antonio…one level below the streets.
Somewhere along the way, this concept went off the rails. According to the San Antonio Express News, in the words of David Straus,“Bums were living under the bridges. People were getting stabbed and robbed. It was off-limits to the military”
It was 1959, and David Straus was a board member of the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, and he constantly heard other members complaining about the Riverwalk, and what an embarrassment it was to the city.
Like Hugman before him, David J. Straus was inspired to do something to rectify this situation, and just like Jack White, he also had the business connections to get the job done. At the time he was on the Chamber’s Tourist Attractions Committee. Tired of hearing the negativity, David Straus visited with the Chamber President, Walter Corrigan, and consequently had himself appointed as the Chairman of a new committee to focus on the Riverwalk.
Together with Harold Robbins who was the chamber’s manager of tourist advertising and promotion, an attempt was made to determine the property owners of riverside structures, and urge them to do something to improve the appearance of their buildings. This proved to be a frustrating exercise as David Straus later reflected, saying, “we just couldn’t get anybody to do anything”
In 1960, the chamber and the city were persuaded to jointly finance a $15,000 study of the Riverwalk conducted by Marco Engineering from California. They had previously gained a reputation for their work with Disneyland.
When the 60 page report was released, there was widespread condemnation with San Antonio architects horrified at the proposed glitzy adaptations.
Photo…American Venice….Lewis F Fisher
In fact in a four page letter, renowned architect O’Neil Ford, who had taken part in the committee’s first appearance before the council said, “ I was not asked to speak, nor have I been asked my opinion since that time. The people who saved the San Antonio River from a storm sewer oblivion, the many who worked on its development — the Bob Hugmans, the Jack Whites etc — should have a say or a critical look and be asked to make critical and constructive comments before such an important project is presented to any governing body”
Following the widespread condemnation and disillusionment with the Marco proposal, the Chamber’s Tourist Attractions Committee, lead by Davis J. Straus rejected the idea as being out of touch with the city.
Following this response, David Straus and Chamber president, Harold Robbins, visited New Orleans to meet with the members of the Vieux Carre Commission, whose role was to oversee the historic French Quarter. Ironically, this was the inspiration of Robert H.H. Hugman’s plan for the San Antonio Riverwalk.
The result was the new City Ordinance 30238, which had the purpose of maintaining the charm of “old San Antonio” This action also helped to create the River Walk Commission, and within six months, a master plan had been devised. David J. Straus worked with the Riverwalk Commission for over thirty years.
Local experts became involved, including members of the American Institute of Architects, and it was one of its members, Ignacio Torres, who suggested the project title “Paseo del Rio”
David Straus was constantly working to breathe life back into the Riverwalk. He purchased properties on the river’s edge in a consortium of investors and searched for tenants. He partnered with architect Cyrus Wagner to design what we know today as “River Square” Its first tenants were La Sirena, a Mexican folk art store, along with two restaurants…the Stockman and Kangaroo Court.
Casa Rio restaurant had earlier incorporated gondolas for a unique boat ride along the river, and fitting in with Hugman’s original concept, however, the mud on the bottom proved to be difficult for the gondoliers to propel the boats. Current owner of Casa Rio, Bill Lyons, recalls that in the early days, the restaurant had some boating “disasters” with craft made from planks of wood and 55 gallon drums. One one occasion, the boat, named the “S.S.Enchilada” capsized, tipping dinner patrons into the river. More on this story at :-
Happy Birthday Casa Rio. San Antonio’s iconic Riverwalk restaurant is 75 years old today.
David Straus had a friend design a larger craft with a motor and approached the city council urging them to embrace the concept and put out bids.
He recalled that the city was initially apprehensive, and so he paid for a boat himself, approached Alfred Beyer at Casa Rio to cater food, and sent out an invitation to the Mayor and council members to join him for a lunchtime cruise. David Straus told Lewis Fisher in a 2006 interview, “That did the trick. The city advertised for bids, the boats were built, and Casa Rio, which had been running the earlier boats, got the concession to operate them”
Photo: hippostcard.com
This paved the way for the “Go Rio “boats we currently see on the Riverwalk for sightseeing and for dinner cruises.
All of this hard work by David J. Straus and many others set up the San Antonio Riverwalk to welcome the millions of visitors to “Hemisfair” in 1968, and continues to attract visitors from all around the world every year since.
To learn a little more about the life and contribution of David Straus, here is an excerpt from his obituary:
“His efforts to conceive the project, to develop the plan, to establish controls to retain the river’s unique atmosphere, and to aggressively continue to push forward, in spite of early apathy, has been recognized by numerous awards: Texas Society of Architects Award – Citation for River Project; SA Advertising Club Award; Paseo Del Rio Association Award; SA Chapter AIA Award; SA Conservation Society Award – Citation for Service to SA River Walk; A Proclamation from the City of San Antonio; Benefactor de la Comunidad, City of San Antonio; Master Publicist Award – SA Advertising Club, Chairman Emeritus of the River Walk Commission and the Robert H.H. Hugman Award.
David Straus was very active with other civic groups and programs. David was Chairman of the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce in 1968, the year of the World’s Fair – HemisFair’68. He worked with the Alamo Area Council Boy Scouts, Centro 21 Commission – City of San Antonio, The Convention Bureau Advisory Committee, The Fiesta San Antonio Commission, The Historic Civic Center Task Force, TMI, United Way, National Conference of Christians and Jews, Santa Rosa Children’s Hospital Foundation, Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio Bi-Centennial Executive Committee, Texas Folklife Festival, San Antonio Economic Development Foundation – Director Executive Committee, and the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce. He was the founding President of Club Giraud. He became a Director Emeritus and Life Member with the San Antonio Livestock Exposition.”
He was also a member of a wide array of clubs, including the San Antonio German Club, Texas Cavaliers, The Order of the Alamo, the Town Club, Club Giraud, San Antonio Country Club, China Marine Association, First Marine Division Association, Marine Corps Mustang Association, Temple Beth-El, Retama Turf and Field Club, Texas Thoroughbred Breeders Association, the Texas Hereford Association and St. Charles Bay Hunting Club.
David J. Straus passed away on May 28th, 2022 at the age of 98. Today we remember his remarkable life on the 100th anniversary of his birth.
Photo: wic.org
Additional stories:
- In 1972, businessman and attorney “Hap” Veltman suggested that future pedestrian bridges over the San Antonio River from downtown to Brackenridge Park, be named after people who pioneered the development of the Riverwalk bend. In an interview with the San Antonio Light newspaper on July 12, 1972, Hap threw out the names of Emily Edwards, Jack White, Robert Hugman and David Straus as examples of people who had “so much to do with preserving the San Antonio River and bringing it to its present form in the downtown area”
He went on to say that “honoring these persons would be a fine gesture on behalf of the city and the river walk organization”
To date, the only one honored so far is Robert H.H.Hugman with his name on the bridge outside the Omni La Mansion Hotel…also commonly referred to as the “Selena” Bridge.
Photo: Author
Maybe it is time for San Antonio to remember these trailblazers on the Riverwalk, just as Hap Veltman proposed, starting with the bridges outside the Hilton Palacio del Rio hotel, and the one below, located in “River Square”
Photo: Author
When talking about this bridge with Robert “Mr B” Buchanan, he referred to it as the “David J. Straus Memorial Bridge”……and this author believes there should be a “push” to the San Antonio City Council and the San Antonio Riverwalk to have it named in honor of David J. Straus for all he did to revitalize the Riverwalk.
- David Straus loved to garden and was always growing a variety of vegetables. He also called himself a Master in Charcuterie which is sausage-making ! He even published a book with sausage recipes.
Sources:
Hemisfar ’68…Holmsley
American Venice…Lewis F Fisher
River Walk…the epic story of San Antonio’s river….Lewis F Fisher
Obituary of David J. Straus…Porter Loring
San Antonio Express News
San Antonio Daily Light
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Memories of San Antonio 
Such a great tribute to David Straus, and Bob Buchanan always has so steadfastly referred to that as the David J. Straus Memorial Footbridge that I actually thought it was the official name…. Which brings me around to official names – River Walk, an official USPS address. Thanks for your great stories about the river.
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