Comfort in Kendall County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
August Faltin Building
Photographed by James Hulse, September 26, 2020
1. August Faltin Building Marker
Prussian native Friedrich August Faltin (1830-1905) moved to Comfort in 1856 and purchased the general merchandise business of Theodor Goldbeck, located at this site.Trained in his father's store, which had been established about 1818 in Danzig, Prussia, now Gdansk, Poland, Faltin became a leading merchant of the Texas Hill Country. In addition, his 1869 partnership with Capt. Charles Schreiner of Kerrville became the nucleus of the vast Schreiner Enterprises.
By the late 1870s Faltin's business, which included Banking and Post Office services, had outgrown the structure at this site and he had architect Alfred Giles of San Antonio design a new building. Constructed by the noted builder J. H. Kampmann, the victorian Italian edifice was completed in 1879.
Later run by Faltin's sons Richard and August S. , the business was sold in 1907 to their brother-in law Dan Holekamp and his sons Otto and Edgar. That same year an addition to the building was completed. Also designed by Giles, it included second floor space for meetings of fraternal and civic groups. In 1968 the property was sold back to the Faltin family.
The August Faltin building remains as a symbol of the area's early commercial growth.
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1982
This property has been placed on the
National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of Interior
Erected 1982 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 237.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1856.
Location. 29° 57.953′ N, 98° 54.548′ W. Marker is in Comfort, Texas, in Kendall County. It is at the intersection of Main Street and 7th Street, on the left when traveling east on Main Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in the Hill Country and in the San Antonio Metropolitan Area. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the Republic of Texas, and one of the Confederate States of America.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Dan and Frances Holekamp (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Arno Schwethelm Building (about 600 feet away); 1907 Comfort State Bank Building (about 600 feet away); Ingenhuett-Faust Hotel (about 600 feet away); Karger Building (about 700 feet away); Ingenhuett-Karger Saloon (about 700 feet away); Otto Brinkmann House (about 700 feet away); The Founding Freethinkers (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Comfort.
Also see . . .
1. Alfred Giles - Architect. Wikipedia (Submitted on October 3, 2020, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)
2. Comfort Heritage Foundation.
Photographed by James Hulse, September 26, 2020
2. August Faltin Building and Marker
Photographed by James Hulse, September 26, 2020
3. August Faltin Building
Credits. This page was last revised on October 4, 2020. It was originally submitted on October 3, 2020, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 993 times since then and 83 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 3, 2020, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
