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BUILDING
DEDICATION
paired, but in 1929 a local bank failure occurred in which the Soci- The building was remodeled in 1965, and continued in use until
ety lost its entire reserve funds amounting to $2,500. Dues were 2004. By then it had become apparent that the Society needed to
raised to $25 per year to stabilize the finances. TMA dues at that move again for a number of reasons, including: 1) The building was
time were $5 per year. actually too large with considerable unused space, 2) It was no longer
centrally located because most physician had moved their offices to
The depression commencing in 1929 had serious economic con- the medical center area, 3) The building was in need of major re-
sequences on the medical profession, but a real estate opportunity pairs, 4) The once attractive residential area had been replaced by
presented itself in 1933. Through the aggressive efforts of the Build- numerous apartments and other commercial enterprises, 5) There
ing Committee, the Bedell-Moore property and home on 202 West was an increased incidence of crime in the area.
French Place became available. An exchange of the Lexington prop-
erty for the French Place was accomplished, and this became the The French Place was sold for $2 million. It had been the home
first real home of the BCMS. It was dedicated on June 8, 1933. for the BCMS for 71 years. We moved onto the sixth floor of the
bank building on I-10, and we were once again in temporary quar-
The location was on a hill in a residential area with a commanding ters. The new offices provided very adequate space for staff and for
view of the city to the south. The grounds, fronting 260 feet on West the various committee and board meetings every month. The reg-
French Place and extending 300 feet deep to Ashby Place, were beau- ular quarterly meetings of the Society were now held in various
tifully terraced and shaded by a great variety of natural and exotic places in San Antonio. Membership had now reached 3,000.
shrubs. A deep well provided upkeep for lawn and shrubbery. The
home proved more than adequate with space for staff offices, library Over the past few years there has been considerable effort on the
and a large meeting room upstairs for monthly gatherings of the So- part of the Society leadership and the chief executive officer to once
ciety. Membership now was at 250. During this decade attendance again reestablish the Society in a new permanent home. This has
by members at the monthly meetings increased until by the late been accomplished in 2016. Our membership now exceeds 4,700.
1930’s as many as 100 to175 members were frequently present. Once again we are in a “HOME SWEET HOME.”
visit us at www.bcms.org 25
