Businessman E.N. Requa developed Scenic Loop Playground on 320 acres north of San Antonio as a rural recreational resort within easy commuting distance of the city. He intended it as a retreat from the stresses of modern life for middle class workers, offering recreation in a natural setting where Lee and Helotes Creeks converged. The area featured small lakes used as swimming pools, a lake for boating and fishing, and live oak trees draped with Spanish moss in an area known as Grey Forest. Requa also set aside acreage for bridle trails, athletic fields, tennis courts, and pocket parks for residents. Scenic Loop Road divided the development into two sections. Unit No. 1, opened for sale to the public in 1929, contained small lots for campsites. Unit No. 2 opened a year later with larger lots that offered opportunities for boarding horses and other livestock. Many structures in the development were built from native materials. The 1929 Stock Market Crash and the ensuing depression slowed development, and the area's character soon changed from recreational use to year-round living. In 1934, Requa signed over common property in the development to the Scenic Loop Playground Club to manage for residents' benefit. Lodges and lots continued to be sold into the 1940s. The transformation of the former recreational area into a rural community was soon complete, and in 1962 Scenic Loop Playground incorporated as the City of Grey Forest.