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Concrete Pavement Progress
www.acpa.org10
b e l k n a p p l a c e
In May, more than
125 people gathered in the
Monte Vista historic district of San Antonio
to celebrate the oldest concrete pavement in
Texas. Placed in 1914, the 7/10-mile long, 40-feet
wide concrete section on Belknap Place is still in
service and carrying car, truck, and bus traffic.
The event began with a reception at the Baum-
berger Estate, an historic concrete home built by
Alamo Cement’s long-time president, Charles
Baumberger.The following day, there was a public
Texas Celebrates its First Concrete Pavement
Belknap Place is 100 Years Old and Still Going Strong
By Sheryl S. Jackson
street celebration featuring antique cars, a bar-
bershop quartet, and historical presentations on
Belknap Place and San Antonio’s cement and
concrete industries. The event culminated with
the dedication of a Texas State Historical Marker.
Representatives from the American Concrete
Pavement Association, the Portland Cement As-
sociation (PCA), and the National Ready Mixed
Concrete Association, as well as local politicians,
associations, and public works administrators,
were on hand for the festivities.
Co-hosted by the Monte Vista Historical As-
sociation and Cement Council of Texas, the
event was made possible by contributions from
sponsors, including the PCA, Alamo/Buzzi Ce-
ment, CEMEX, Texas Lehigh Cement, Texas
Aggregates and Concrete Association, Texas
Concrete Pavement Association, and Ann Van
Pelt, a past-president of the MVHA.
About Belknap Place
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the
United States was quickly changing from a rural,
predominantly agrarian society to an urbanized,
industrial nation. As the mode of transportation
changed from horse and buggy to automobiles,
trucks and buses, existing roads made of dirt,
gravel and macadam could not handle the traf-
fic. City leaders and property owners looked for
a more durable paving material.
Following the construction of the first concrete
road in the country in Bellefontaine in 1891
[Editor’s note: See story on Bellefontaine in 2nd
quarter issue 2016 of
Concrete Pavement Progress
,
p. 12]
, concrete’s popularity grew slowly at first,
with 1,764 miles of concrete roads constructed
between 1893 and 1914. However, 1915 was the
Pr ject
Snapshot
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Length of concrete
street—7/10 mile
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Employed a patented, two-
lift construction technique
known as “Granitoid”
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Brick-pattern surface provided
foothold for horseshoes
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»
Construction completed
between October to
December 1914
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»
Total cost paid by City and
property owners—$37,685.66
»
»
Project contractor—Texas
Granitoid Company
be lknap pl ace
Core samples of the original
concrete placed using the
Granitoid process.