The HAUNTINGS at the Alamo Street Restaurant and Theater
Article by Linda Houle
It's known as the home of "Great Food and Friendly Spirits"--San Antonio's Alamo Street Theater--located at 1150 South Alamo Street. Built in 1912, the mission style structure started out as the Alamo Methodist Church. In 1968 the congregation disbanded and the building was left empty--suffering the abuse of vandals and transients for eight years--until 1976, when Marica and Bill Larsen bought it. The couple worked hard to restore the structure--which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988--the same year it officially became the Alamo Street Restaurant and Theater. Sadly Bill Larsen died in 1996, but Marcia has continued the restoration work and still runs the theater. Many books and television programs have featured stories about the theater's resident spirits. It's not known how many ghosts reside in the building--some are very quiet, and only appear occasionally. Others are seen, heard or felt on a regular basis, especially "Miss Margaret" and "Little Eddie."
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UPDATE! NOW KNOWN AS THE CHURCH BISTRO AND THEATER
Still open for a lunch buffet and still offering theatrical performances--Marica has retired and is working on her own projects--we wish her luck!
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The Lady in White--A "lady in white" is seen quite often, and through investigations by psychics it was determined that this spirit is an actress named Margaret Gething. Margaret lived in the King William neighborhood near the Alamo Methodist Church. She died in 1975, one year before the Larsens bought the building. It's not known if she ever attended services there, but since she was an actress and the building was being converted into a theater, she certainly could have become interested and decided to "move in!" She is most active during rehersals and theater performances. Some people have heard her calling their names. Some have even seen the woman in a long white dress. Others see her as a white misty form, or feel her presence as an icy coldness up their spine. "Little Eddie" is another very active spirit at the theater. Thought to be a young boy, perhaps "attached" to a wheelchair that was brought in for a theater production, Eddie is very mischievous. He's been "seen" as a little red-haired boy. He loves to play pranks, especially in the restaurant's kitchen. He plays in the food, stirs the soup, and carries the serving spoons away from the buffet! Dishes and glasses move around, lights turn off and on, and footsteps are heard upstairs when nobody is there.
