Homeowners Association
San Antonio, Texas
Celebrating over 50 years as one of San Antonio's most admired and desired communities.
Community History
In 1967 two developers, Denton Developments and Prestige Homes, began construction of new homes on a large tract of land north of Castle Hills. The gorgeous site was formerly territory of the Apache and Tonkaawa tribes until the 1800's when the Comanche tribe pushed them into what is now Mexico. Local archeologists have uncovered artifacts and remains dating as far back as the Paleo-Indian period (8000–10000 BCE). Rolling hills adorned with grand oaks had been used as family dairy and ranch land for decades.
Many roadways leading the community were unpaved and nearby retail and restaurants were sparse. A small convenience store named Mr. M's, and not much else, stood at the corner of Wurzbach where it dead ended with Lockhill-Selma.
Whispering Oaks would be one of the first large-scale projects undertaken north of the I-410 loop and would generate significant anticipation in part because it was one of the first Texas subdivisions which promised buried utility lines for a cleaner street view. New homes were featured in the Parade of Homes tour and attracted upscale homebuyers looking for the opportunity to custom build on spacious, wooded lots.
The Jackson family home at 11111 Whisper Ridge was one of the first built. Courtesy of family, Spring 1969.
Today, Whispering Oaks remains one of San Antonio’s most admired and desired neighborhoods because the beauty of its terrain and charm of its homes have largely been preserved. The community is recognized as a Neighborhood Conservation District by the city and its homeowners association remains a vigilant advocate.
The subdivision is roughly divided into two parts by the Upper Olmos Creek drainage channel. Developers began construction on the eastside which would lead to a total of 415 properties. Another 337 more would eventually follow to the West, creating a current-day total of 752 residences. Construction took nearly a decade.
The first homes appeared along Whispering Wind and Whisper Hill, extending down to Whisper Valley that dead-ended near the new swimming pool. Denton constructed the pool in 1968 and operated it for 15 years before selling it to a group of residents who then formed a non-profit corporation for the benefit of the community. The tennis courts added to both the East and West sides are now managed by the same organization, which is not affiliated in any way with the Whispering Oaks Homeowners Association (WOHA) which formed in 1974.
The next round of homes were constructed along Whisper Path, which received an entrance monument at Lockhill-Selma similar to those previously built by the developers near Whispering Wind. All of these monuments were later replaced by WOHA during its construction of the community's perimeter wall. Development continued along Whisper View and Whisper Valley which featured mostly duplex homes. The latter street eventually connected to Wurzbach Parkway, which extended no farther East than Lockhill-Selma at that time.
A small convenience store called Mr. M's was located near the corner of Wurzbach and Lockhill-Selma where the gas station now sits. The adjacent shopping complex was developed after Whispering Oaks broke ground and some related proposals by the developers for additional commercial expansion were contested by nearby residents. As the economy faltered in the mid-1970's and demand of upscale housing softened, so Denton proposed installing a two-story office complex along the southern side of Whisper Quill. The builder also proposed erecting an apartment complex along Lockhill-Selma between Whisper Quill and Whisper Path. Both projects would have encroached upon nearby homeowners who threatened legal action. WOHA helped broker a compromise and neither project came to fruition.
Development of the Western side began in 1975 where similar deviation from initial plans was considered. Denton had initially offered the land between Whisper Willow and Upper Olmos Creek to the Northside School District, but the offer was declined. WOHA sought to purchase some of the area to create a park adjacent to the tennis club, but this proposal proved financially daunting for the newly founded community group.
The developers forged on with the addition of Whisper Sound and Whisper Fern. Construction continued on the Western side adding several more streets and hundreds of residences including gardens homes and a few duplexes. The majority of new home construction in the subdivision was completed by 1978 and residents settled in to one of San Antonio's most admired communities. Some of the original residents remain part of our community today.