San Antonio burger staple Armadillo's buys historic Westside ice house

Oct. 12, 2021

The spot was sold by an entity called "1617 W Commerce LLC." Local realtor Micah Harper is portion of the radical that sold the spot and helium confirmed the merchantability via Facebook. 

Armadillo's co-owner Andrew Carrillo says the conception isn't nailed down conscionable yet, but helium wanted to unafraid the property. His volition is to support astir of the historical facade and layout.

"The information that it utilized to really beryllium an crystal location is truly cool," Carrillo says. "I'd similar to support that and instrumentality it into the existent operation aft construction."

He volition person to owed to the property's designated historical landmark status. Any projected changes volition person to beryllium approved by the city's Historic Design and Review Commission. 

Carrillo says he's besides not definite whether the crystal location conception volition transportation the Armadillo's name. Armadillo's Texas Style Burgers presently has 2 locations — 1 astatine its archetypal determination astatine 1423 McCullough Avenue and different astatine City Base. Armadillo's opened successful 2003 successful the archetypal determination that erstwhile belonged to Little Hipps until it closed successful 2002, according to Express-News archives. 

It's not known precisely however overmuch the radical sold the spot for, but a deed of spot says Armadillo's borrowed $146,250 from Frost Bank for the deal. 

Contreras Ice House, 1617 W Commerce St.

Courtesy photograph / San Antonio Historic Design and Review Commission

The historical Westside ice location adjacent Alazan Creek was acceptable for a redevelopment task successful 2015. La Gloria's Johnny Hernandez and the precocious Dan Markson, erstwhile vice president of improvement for NRP Group, were down the task astatine the time. 

The Historic and Design Review Commission approved Markson's renovation concepts and plans to adhd a 1,200-square-foot abstraction successful the backmost successful October 2015. Markson died connected May 4, 2019. 

Harper says the radical that sold the crystal location besides includes Jennifer and Leo Naeger who besides purchased and renovated the adjacent Warehouse 5, which present houses Vista Brewing's outer tasting room, Shotgun House Roasters and respective different makers and services. 

Contreras Ice House was built sometime successful 1924, according to the Office of Historic Preservation. It served arsenic a Lone Star Ice Company presumption up until 1955 erstwhile it became Contreras Ice House. There is nary grounds of erstwhile it closed, but it was already abandoned erstwhile it became a historical landmark successful 2013.