A mansion recently listed in Dignowity Hill for $530,000 has a long history in San Antonio.

The four-bedroom, two-and-a-half bath residence was built in 1890 in an architectural style known as Folk Victorian, characterized by its simple construction and decorative finishes. The approach was intended as a cheaper alternative to grander Victorian homes.

Hiram Shaw Liggett, the heir to a tobacco empire, bought the house in 1892 as he sought to expand his family’s business, Liggett & Myers Tobacco, into the San Antonio market. But that same year, Liggett died of illness and left everything to his wife, Laura Coleman Liggett, whose father happened to be the U.S. Secretary of the Interior.

Later, a Southern Pacific Railroad conductor named Thomas Weatherly Beck purchased the property and converted it into a boarding house for railroad workers.

The sellers uncovered much of this story while conducting research for the Conservation Society of San Antonio. Interior designer San Juanita Preciado discovered more of the same while restoring the home, which she detailed in an interview with The Word, an online publication of the University of the Incarnate Word.

When Preciado tore down a wall inside the house, she actually discovered lumber company documents related to the construction. The company’s telephone number was also included in the documents – 3132. The telephone numbers at that time only had four digits.

Like many great Victorian residences, the 2,252-square-foot Liggett home features beautiful hardwood floors, eight-foot windows, and vaulted 11-foot ceilings.

Still, the renovations have given it a decidedly modern feel thanks to bright blue subway tiles in the kitchen, an open floor plan, modern lighting fixtures, and a walk-in shower in the master bedroom’s ensuite bathroom. Instead of the typical transom doors usually found in Victorian homes, the main level features modern barn doors.

Outside, the property is lush with pecan, peach, loquat and pomegranate trees. It also features a detached guest suite with a private bath and entrance that could provide short-term rental income, according to listing agent Natalie Salas.