Pig Building

San Antonio, Texas, United States

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The Big Pig is a 14-foot pink stucco pig of cement and steel, made in 1935 by Mexican mason Anastacio Gaytan as a carhop shelter at Pig Stand #29, at Broadway and I-35 in San Antonio. The King William Association says it later stood at a tavern and on South Presa Street, and moved in 1996 to 807 S. Presa, a former Pig Stand site. It was donated to the association in 2007, after the Pig Stand chain's bankruptcy, and the association is raising funds for its restoration.

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Pig Building

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Site-level location · 29.4083° N, 98.4903° W

FIELD GUIDE

The story

A pink pig built as a shelter for drive-in carhops has moved around San Antonio more than once.

The King William Association (KWA) says the Big Pig is 14 feet tall, made of cement and steel, and was created in 1935 by Mexican mason Anastacio Gaytan for the Pig Stand restaurants. It first served as a carhop shelter at Pig Stand #29, on Broadway at I-35. The Pig Stand was a Texas chain; the association says it is credited with introducing the drive-through window and with inventing fried onion rings and Texas Toast. CultureMap, in May 2026, describes the pig as pink and stucco and calls its history murky, saying it has since served as a nightclub entrance, a hot dog joint and a temporary residence.

The association's account of the moves is specific. By 1989 the pig had left Broadway for a tavern on East White Street, where it stayed until 1995. It then went to 1604 S. Presa, and in 1996 a handshake agreement placed it at 807 S. Presa, the former site of Pig Stand #24. The chain filed for bankruptcy in the mid-2000s, and the pig was donated to the KWA in 2007.

The KWA says the statue needs structural maintenance including window repair and painting. Its "Feed the Pig" campaign raises money for restoration, and it says local artist Carlos Cortes restored the pig. The association is completing applications for City of San Antonio Historic Landmark designation, and it says the pig may have to find a new home if the current property is sold.

Sources disagree on where the pig stands now: the KWA gives 807 S. Presa, while CultureMap places it on St. Mary's Street in Southtown.

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WHAT TO EXPECT

Currently a static, non-operating structure (not a functioning restaurant) at 807 S. Presa Street, San Antonio, in the King William/Southtown area, maintained by the King William Association, which is raising restoration funds and pursuing City of San Antonio Historic Landmark Designation.

ACCESS

Exterior-viewable from the public street/parking area at 807 S. Presa St, San Antonio. It functions as a neighborhood landmark and photo spot rather than an open building; no source found indicates public interior access.

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Stargazer (Citlali) 16-foot volcanic stone woman River Walk Public Art Garden

San Antonio, Texas

Stargazer (Citlali) is a 16-foot sculpture by Mexican artist Pedro Reyes of a seated woman holding a marble star, made of volcanic stone. San Antonio unveiled it in March 2022 in the River Walk Public Art Garden.

Public art

1.8 km away

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