Alfred Giles (architect)

Alfred Giles, architect
Capt. Charles Schreiner Mansion Designed by Alfred Giles at commission of Texas rancher Charles Schreiner, Sr.
Born	(1853-05-23)May 23, 1853 Hillingdon, Middlesex, England,
Died	August 13, 1920(1920-08-13) (aged 67) Hillingdon Ranch Kendall County, Texas. USA
Alma mater	Proprietary School at Gravesend, Kent King's College London
Occupation	Architect
Buildings	Historic courthouses Historic private homes

Alfred Giles (1853–1920) was a British architect who emigrated to Texas in 1875, at the age of 22. Many of the private homes and public buildings designed by Giles are on the National Register of Historic Places and have been designated Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks. A number of his designs can be found in San Antonio and in Kendall County, Texas. He is known for his numerous designs of county courthouses, and for the banks, commercial buildings, and fine homes he designed in Central Texas and Mexico. Giles is credited with "a profound influence on architecture in San Antonio."

Alfred Giles was born May 23, 1853 on his family's estate near Hillingdon, Middlesex, England. His parents were Thomas and Sophie (Brown) Giles. From 1864 to 1868, he attended the Proprietary School at Gravesend, Kent, with a goal of entering the ministry with the Church of England. Instead, he eventually chose a career in architecture and apprenticed for two years to Giles and Bivens in London, while taking architecture classes at King's College London. The firm hired him after the completion of his apprenticeship. In 1873, Giles moved to New York City.

Giles moved to the drier climate of San Antonio, Texas in 1875 for health reasons and spent the next three years working for building contractor John H. Kampmann. After that period, Giles began his own architectural firm,which grew to become "the foremost practice in San Antonio."

Prior to the current Bexar County Courthouse which was constructed in 1896 and designed by James Riely Gordon, the county had its offices in the Masonic Building. Giles was contracted in 1882 to remodel the county offices in that building. D. C. Anderson was the building contractor who did the work, which was completed in 1883.