The Ritz Hotel, San Antonio TX

The Ritz Hotel opened in August 1953 and was described in the San Antonio Light newspaper as being “San Antonio’s first negro motel.” It had 24 units and held a coffee shop which regularly switched owners from time to time. The motel was initially built and owned, prominent white developer, Monroe Bibb. Given segregation, Bibb saw a market opportunity to build black motels on the city’s East Side, an the Ritz was built at 2958 E. Commerce St. While traveling, Black Americans faced difficulties finding public accommodations. The Ritz Motel appeared in The Green Book starting in the Fall of 1956 and in The Go Guide to Pleasant Motoring in 1954, which outlined safe amenities for African American travelers. The Ritz Motel is a prime example of how Blacks overcame injustices in society economically.