Scott Huddleston, Staff writer
Jan. 28, 2021 Updated: Jan. 28, 2021 7:36 p.m.
A 1921 Craftsman bungalow in the Beacon Hill area north of downtown, the boyhood home of one of San Antonio’s first athletes to play in the National Football League, appears headed for historic landmark designation by the City Council in the spring.
But it’s not a done deal.
There are those who say granting landmark status for the house at 1206 W. Agarita St. seems too much like punishing the owner.
Commissioner Gabriel Velasquez of the city’s Historic Design and Review Commission opposes the designation, saying it would be “an abuse of the intention of the designation to single out a property” whose owner, after initially seeking demolition, now is preserving it.
“It gives the appearance of a consequence, of a penalty, and in this case it’s a consequence and a penalty for doing the right thing,” Velasquez said.
But fellow commissioners disagreed; they voted 7-2 for landmark designation last week. The City Council will have the final say in April.
If landmark status is awarded, the current and future owners would be eligible to receive local tax incentives for structural rehabilitation, but would have to secure approval from the city for exterior work.
On ExpressNews.com: NFL great’s boyhood home may become historic
Rodrigo Velasquez, whose family now owns the house — no relation to the HDRC commissioner — said it’s poorly timed implementation of new regulations occurring after the house and others in the neighborhood already have been altered through window replacements, additions and other changes.
“We just feel it’s a little unfair, that it’s raising our costs, when we have competitors now that are also renovating in that area that don’t have to go through that historic designation,” Rodrigo Velasquez said.
The city’s Office of Historic Preservation and Beacon Hill Area Neighborhood Association have said the house qualifies as a landmark for its architectural features; its ties to the late Damon Tassos, who played in the NFL in the 1940s, and his family, which was active in the local Greek community; and its significance and contribution to the neighborhood, which the preservation office has determined itself is eligible for historic district status.
Cosima Colvin, co-chair of the neighborhood association’s zoning and urban design committee, said a landmark designation proposed for the house had “overwhelming support” from residents.
The family that now owns the property filed a demolition request in August, with plans to develop town homes on a half-acre tract, but since has withdrawn the demolition application and is returning the house to its original appearance.
“The pressure that our neighborhood is under for development and redevelopment has reopened the conversation of going historic, and we look forward to working with OHP to reintroduce the concept to our membership so that we have a robust conversation of the pros and cons,” Colvin told the commission.
The case tentatively is set for consideration by the Zoning Commission on March 2, with final action by the City Council on April 1.
The council had unanimously passed a resolution in December to start the designation process.
Despite the preservation office’s efforts to engage the public on potentially historic properties and to be more proactive on initiating designations, many houses and building are given landmark status only after an owner has sought demolition.
HDRC Commissioner Curtis Fish spoke in favor of declaring the house a landmark.
“This project isn’t one that’s been singled out,” Fish said. “We see a number of cases that are initiated by demolition requests.”
Rodrigo Velasquez said he will appeal the commission’s decision to the City Council because he believes the landmark decision would be onerous.
He pointed out that instead of tearing down the house and building town homes there, he’s rehabbing the house and developing two single-family residences on the tract.
Tassos memories
Cynthia Tassos Phillips, a daughter of Damon Tassos, has a unique perspective, with memories of her grandparents’ home and stories of her father, aunt and uncle having grown up there on Agarita.
She remembers the rambling porch; a bathroom, the only one in the house at the time, that had black wallpaper covered with pink flamingos; and the tantalizing aromas of olive oil, oregano, garlic, lemon juice and spices used in pastitsio, a baked pasta dish, and other Greek culinary staples.
Her grandfather, Gus Tassos and his brother, Charles Tassos, had come to the United States after World War I, seeking economic opportunity, and built two houses on Agarita in 1921. Charles was a trustee and founding member of St. Sophia’s Greek Orthodox Church, established in 1924.
“They came to America with nothing, like many people did back in those days, and worked hard, made the kids work hard, made the grandkids work hard,” Cynthia Tassos said. “I could tell you exactly where everything is in that house, and I loved every bit of it — and have the best memories.”
Her father, Damon Gus Tassos, played football at Jefferson High School, became a team captain at Texas A&M and went on to the NFL, playing as a guard and linebacker for the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers from 1945 to 1949.
He was known as “The Greek” in sports circles. San Antonio Express-News archives show he had five interceptions, kicked three extra points and played alongside such early NFL Hall of Fame figures as Don Hutson, Sammy Baugh and Sid Luckman.
At Texas A&M, Tassos was in a group of freshmen and sophomore players called the “Kiddie Korps,” since the team’s upperclassmen all had been called away to duty in World War II.
After his NFL career, Tassos owned Damon’s restaurant at Austin Highway and Broadway. His cousin, Bill Tassos, opened the Barn Door in 1953. The well-known steakhouse still operates under the same name but with different ownership.
Damon Tassos died in 2001.
His daughter said the family often gathered on weekends at her grandparents’ house on Agarita, sharing tight bonds among siblings and cousins.
Her grandmother, Marguerite Tassos, purchased a donkey that had been housed in a barn in Brackenridge Park and kept it in a lot next to the house.
Phillips remembers learning to ride a bike on Agarita, getting in spear grass fights with her cousins and sprawling out on the floor with her “Papi,” Gus Tassos, when she spent the night with her grandparents.
But her favorite family tales center on her father. Her grandmother didn’t want him to play football, and made sure he attended Greek school before enrolling at Jefferson, she said.
One oft-told story was how her father negotiated his terms of employment with with the NFL over the phone, long before players had agents to handle such matters. Detroit Lions Coach Gus Dorais asked Tassos to “name his price.”
“And Daddy said he took a big gulp of air and said, ‘How about $2,500 for a signing bonus?” Phillips recalled. Dorais “said, ‘We’ll put you on the next plane to Detroit tomorrow.’ And Daddy said it took 24 hours to get to Detroit. But he left 1206 West Agarita, and that was the beginning of his football career.”
- Written ByScott Huddleston
Scott Huddleston is a veteran staff writer at the San Antonio Express-News covering Bexar County Commissioners Court and county government.
He has been a reporter at the Express-News since 1985, covering a variety of issues, including public safety, flooding, transportation, military and veterans affairs, history and local government.
Huddleston covered the final construction phase of the SBC Center — now AT&T Center, where the Spurs play — in 2002, and wrote “Then&Now,” a weekly historical feature, for the Sunday Metro section from 2001-2006.