Red Berry Mansion on the Lake

This magnificent estate, located just a few minutes from downtown, formerly belonged to Virgil E. "Red" Berry, one of San Antonio's most legendary gamblers. Berry came to the Alamo City in 1929 for a 10-month assignment at Fort Sam Houston as an M.P. During his time at Fort Sam in the 1930s, Berry purchased several horses to race at the Alamo Downs racetrack and indulged in high-stakes gambling. Using his winnings, Berry opened The Turf Club, a beer hall, restaurant, and illicit gambling casino downtown. The club survived a few years, despite regular law enforcement raids and seizures. In La Vernia, Texas, in 1940, Berry sat down to play a game of "pitch" with a friend, John Sullivan, and walked away from the game that day with what became known as the Red Berry Mansion and Estate. Berry bulldozed the property, installed a dam, diverted the flow of the well, and created a 15-acre lake, complete with an island. Next to the lake he built a three-story 12,000-square-foot mansion, which quickly became a regular meeting place for San Antonio's biggest gamblers. In spite of run-ins with the law, Berry ran for police and fire commissioner in 1947. In 1960 he was elected state representative, and at the age of 70, he was elected state senator. Bill Tidwell bought the property in 2002, refurbished the mansion to its original splendor, and reopened it as a special events facility.