Landa Library: Art

In 1928, architect Robert B. Kelley of Kellwood Co., designed the “two stories of stucco, stone-tile, and other permanent materials@ to resemble palatial Italian architecture” (“History”). Mrs. Landa supervised the construction, and worked very closely with Kelley and C.D. Carlisle, the contractor, to create a beautiful home, adorned with lavish furniture, hand crafted wrought iron work imported from Italy, and a glass chandelier brought back from a trip to Venice. The unique hand-carved marble mantle alongside intricate marble and tiled floors gave the home its distinctive air of elegance dressed in comfort. The Landa’s also built a room specifically designed as an art gallery to display their numerous paintings collected from their travels in Europe (“Art Gallery”). When completed in 1929, the San Antonio Light featured a full page photographic piece detailing the home’s ornate decor. Hailed as “one of the South’s finest homes” (“Landa’s S.A. Home”) the Landa residence was considered one of the pioneering marvels included in the hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of architecture and style incorporated into new homes “West of the Olmos” in that year (“Newest Creations”). 

Mr. Landa's Library - Journal of San Antonio | Journal of the Life and Culture of San Antonio