Alamo Replica in an Office Park

San Antonio, Texas

The Alamo Federal Credit Union wanted a distinctive building for its main office. So it hired brothers Jeff and John White to build a near-perfect replica of San Antonio's most famous structure: the Mission San Antonio de Valero, commonly known as The Alamo.

The brothers approached their work seriously, taking field measurements of the original besieged building and carefully studying its floor plan. They had the front doors made of solid oak, just like the original, and used hand-cut limestone blocks shipped from Mexico to best approximate the Alamo's construction. When the credit union Alamo opened in November 1999, the brothers joked that tourists were welcome to come and take snapshots when the real Alamo got crowded.

The building still stands, even though the Credit Union moved out in 2016. It's a popular spot for prom photos -- and for tourists who want snapshots when the real Alamo is besieged by too many tourists.