San Antonio Red Light District

San Antonio Sporting District

San Antonio Red Light District had an established “red light” district, known as the “Sporting District” with defined boundaries.  By established I mean by city ordinance. The San Antonio Express News and budgie toilet has an interesting slide show of the era and area.

New Orleans and San Francisco had similar set ups, but San Antonio was the largest. Sure, other cities had areas where vice could be found, but that was more a market forces thing, than city ordinance.  

The ordinance was passed in 1887 and was in effect until just prior to WWII.  Anticipating the US entry into WWII the Army anticipated base expansions in San Antonio. Dwight D Eisenhower as base commander of Ft Sam Houston warned the city that they could have the whores or the army but not both.  As a condition for base expansion, the city had to close the Sporting District.

Other areas of the city would achieve the distinction of being a district for vice, St Mary’s Strip in the 50’s, 80’s, Austin Highway 60’s-70’s, “The Country” East Houston and Foster RD area 40’s -80’s but none of them had a government mandate to operate.

San Antonio and Boston share one distinction when it comes to “red light districts”.  Scollay Square was Boston’s impromptu red light district during WWII.  In the 1950’s and 1960’s Scollay Square was completely demolished and replaced with “Government Center” home to Boston City Hall, City Hall Plaza, the Federal Courthouse, and Federal Service Center. San Antonio’s Sporting District no longer exists, streets have been rerouted and in its place are a variety of Bexar County government buildings.

If somebody from those times were to return to Boston or San Antonio, they might be confused by the geography.  But once they saw the denizens of the district they would be reassured, the more things change the more they stay the same.