By Joy Capps
Photography by Vernon Wentz
Under the San Antonio sun, barrel
tile roofs can be found in abundance
as they insulate the
American version of Tuscan-styled
homes. These Old World-styled houses bring a
warm Mediterranean feel to the neighborhoods
in which they reside. In addition to
these colorful rooftops, local builders have
incorporated rock and stone found in area
quarries for the interiors and exteriors of these
inviting private retreats.
The beautiful San Antonio terrain provides
a perfect backdrop for building a style
of home known to some as Texas-Tuscan.
While others prefer to call their dwellings
Mediterranean, it is apparent that the San
Antonio version of Italian villas will be
around for years to come.
“Styles come in and out,” says Art Burdick,
president of Burdick Custom Homes, “but over
the past decade Mediterranean has been the
preferred style in the Texas market.”
“The architectural concept is very comfortable
and will endure the test of time;”
says Burdick, “however, some spurious
designs have excessively used cupolas and
towers that may become very dated.”
Tuscan-styled homes have grown in popularity
since they first entered the American
market in the late 1860s. For an architectural
design to stand the test of time, it must be simple
to reproduce with a variety of easily accessible
materials that fit into a wide range of
budgets, and the Italian-like villas do just that.
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