The pearl of The Pearl

Back in the late Sixties, when we first lived in San Antonio, I remember The Pearl as the old brewery  where SAC art students and faculty built a large Peter Max-inspired float for the Fiesta parade.   Before my time, this is what The Pearl looked like in 1910:

My children and Joy's children were among the many who grew up going to Friday night openings at the Koehler House.  Adjacent to the San Antonio College campus, this beautiful old house was the place for SAC faculty and student art exhibitions.  Joy and I used to visit there on opening nights while our kids frolicked throughout the upstairs and downstairs of the Koehler house, and we stayed until the lights went out.

What I didn't know then was that the Koehler House was the home of Otto and Emma Koehler, also owners of The Pearl Brewery.

Here's Emma--when The Pearl re-opened after  Prohibition

The Pearl is now one of San Antonio's favorite attractions--a complex of eateries, bars, and shops.  On weekends, it's buzzing with dogs and humans of all ages, sometimes music, as farmer's market venders sell local vegetables and beverages and bakery treats. This frisky bandana-wearing girl was one of the Farmer's Market visitors this morning.

The recently opened Hotel Emma may be the pearl of The Pearl--repurposed and newly opened this spring from the original brewmaster building, as iconic a structure in San Antonio as the Hemisfair Tower.

Inside and outside, the design of the brewmaster-building-turned-hotel incorporates many elements of the original brewery.  I plan to go back again soon with my real camera and look more closely at the do-jiggies and wheels and vats--but for now, these iPhone snapshots give you a glimpse into the lobby of the Emma.

This morning, to celebrate Lorraine's birthday, we four had a delicious brunch at Supper--a restaurant in the lobby of the hotel. Overlooking the San Antonio River, the balcony and the view from our table--and the conversation among dear friends--made this a beautiful, memorable morning. Linda K and I both had the chicken salad on croissant, and it was yummy!

Lorraine, Jan, Linda K and moi--Linda H

Jan told us a story about "the three Emmas"--which I've been trying to track down online so I can post it with a bit more accuracy than I can trust myself to do after one glass of wine and one listen.  But it goes something like this:

Once when Emma Koehler was sick, old Otto hired a "foreign beauty" to help care for her.  This beautiful young caretaker was also named Emma, and apparently old Otto and young Emma had a bit more in common than the welfare of his ailing wife.

Somewhere along the line, Otto hired yet another Emma with whom he had yet another fling!  If this story is true, there were actually three women named Emma in the life of Otto, owner of The Pearl.

I'll keep checking my facts--but it's interesting so far to discover that the ailing Emma outlived old Otto by several years.  According to my Internet sources, Emma made the Pearl more productive and successful than her husband ever did!  (Who knew?)