SAN ANTONIO – The longest and oldest standing Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Texas needs a facelift.
VFW Post 76 is located on 10th Street and Avenue B along the Museum Reach extension of the San Antonio River Walk.
“We’re missing pieces of lumber bottom line, and structurally, we’re missing pieces of structure bottom line,” VFW Post 76 building committee chair Steve Trevino said. “This was not cosmetic. It was structural and internal fix-me-up.”
The home that is VFW Post 76 has been standing for 130 years. Many original pieces of the house are still standing, but over time, renovations have been needed.
“Our worst exterior condition was our overhang of the roof,” Trevino said. “We had a lot of dry rot and a lot of mission components. They just fall off because the nails and the fasteners don’t have anything else to grip on anymore because the moisture has to enter into the rafter’s tails.”
Trevino explained that the historic home’s roof was in the worst shape. The post divided the roof into five sections. Repairs for four of those sections cost $34,000.
They received help from the Petty family, who previously owned the historic home before selling it after World War II.
“We need to have this place here because, when you’re able to have two different generations, three generations of a gap of veterans talking, the younger one and the older one, it’s breathtaking, it’s reverence,” Trevino said. “There is so much respect there.”
Trevino said VFW Post 76 is trying to secure a federal grant and one through Bexar County to continue making needed repairs.
“Grants are going to be strictly dedicated to the infrastructure of the house, whether it be mechanical, electrical, plumbing, or exterior or interior finishes,” said Trevino.
But Trevino said they can’t just rely on grants, so they’re hosting fundraising events.
The Lobstah Palooza Riverwalk Festival will be held from noon to midnight Saturday at VFW Post 76. There will be food, drink, vendors, and live music.
More related coverage on KSAT:
