Ft. Sam Houston Quadrangle and Staff Post

Ft. Sam Houston Quadrangle and Staff Post. . , The Quadrangle, a scaled-down version of Jeffersonville Depot in Indiana, was begun in 1876 and originally served as a Quartermaster Depot and Headquarters for the Department of Texas. Designed as a fortress-like building with both one and two stories surrounding a water/watchtower, it was sited on the highest available ground to take advantage of the summer breezes. The grounds in the middle of the Quadrangle, encompassing roughly eight acres, were planed and planted with ornamental trees., The Staff Post, developed in 1881 as permanent officers' quarters, was arranged in an L-shape around a parade ground that opened to the south onto Grayson Street, thus providing a connection to surrounding civilian neighborhoods. Prominent San Antonio architect Alfred Giles designed these quarters in the Italianate style. The largest of these quarters (Building No. 6) has always been occupied by the commanding general, the senior officer on post.