FEBRUARY 22, 2024 — As part of its celebration of the lives, culture and contributions of the African American community, UTSA hosted its signature Black History Month event today in downtown San Antonio.
UTSA and Frost Bank held a historical landmark celebration to honor the site of what was once one of the few African American-owned businesses in San Antonio: the P.F. Roberts grocery store.
Born Henry Porter Field Roberts, the former law clerk for Sam Houston moved to San Antonio in 1895 to teach at the Norris Wright Cuney School, located in what was then the Baptist Settlement Neighborhood.
With the aid of his own entrepreneurial ambitions and a $2,000 loan from T.C. Frost, the founder of Frost Bank, Roberts opened his namesake grocery store at 301 Victoria St. at what is now the corner of Indianola St. and E. César E. Chávez Blvd.
Today’s landmark dedication was the capstone to efforts by the UTSA Center for Cultural Sustainability, which nominated the 301 Victoria St. site in June 2021 for Recorded Texas Historic Landmark status from the Texas Historical Commission.
“The story of P.F. Roberts speaks to the rich cultural history that has made San Antonio the vibrant city that it is today,” said Teresa Niño, UTSA vice president for university relations. “UTSA is dedicated to preserving the heritage of those who shaped our city, and we are proud to have played a part in securing landmark status for this site, one of the few African American-owned businesses in San Antonio at that time.”
Pat Frost, former President of Frost Bank and the great-great grandson of the bank’s founder, added, “Our founder, T.C. Frost, envisioned a prosperous San Antonio by supporting leaders in our community, like Mr. Roberts. Today’s dedication is an example of our commitment to our customers that has remained the same for more than 150 years.”
Spearheading the work to achieve landmark status for Roberts’ store was William Dupont, The Conservation Society of San Antonio Endowed Professor and director of the Center for Cultural Sustainability. He convened a team of UTSA researchers, including Charles Gentry, Anthony Vannette and Kelsey Brown, to write the nomination.
“The research was there, but it hadn’t been compiled and publicized,” said Gentry, who serves as a lecturer at UTSA and as a historic preservation specialist for the City of San Antonio.
Assisting in the research and providing background information for this project was P.F. Roberts’ grandson, Ernest Stevenson Qadimasil.
“My grandfather couldn’t have done it without Frost’s help,” Qadimasil said. “Frost risked his business and risked his physical life, giving money to my grandfather during that time.”
He added, “This event is monumental for San Antonio. This is major, that the true facts can be brought forth to the citizens of San Antonio.”
Roberts was an advocate for civil rights and served as a founding member of the NAACP San Antonio Chapter. He is said to have hosted many local and national leaders for civil rights meetings, including Thurgood Marshall.
“San Antonio was pivotal in the civil rights movement,” Qadimasil added. “Important litigation was developed here.”
The continued effort to shine light on San Antonio’s diverse history remains in the forefront of UTSA’s research.
“We hope to continue the process and establish more historic sites like this throughout the Black community in San Antonio, from the Eastside to Denver Heights,” Gentry said.
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