SAN ANTONIO | Thompson Hotel and Residences | 314 FEET | 20 FLOORS | U/C

[The Model]

[IMG]Arts Thompson Construction by Raul Medina III, on Flickr[/IMG]

[miaht82]

Very nice

[Rynetwo]

One of downtown San Antonio's most anticipated luxury, mixed-use projects has hit a new milestone.

The Arts Residences at the Thompson San Antonio hotel has pre-sold 60 percent of its condominiums, developer DC Partners announced, calling the project the fastest-selling luxury condominium project in Texas.

https://www.bizjournals.com/sananton...-half-pre.html

[N90]

That's very good. It should inspire confidence to developers in SA that demand is there for more tall buildings like this.

[Fryguy]

https://www.bizjournals.com/sananton...-half-pre.html

[KevinFromTexas]

Thanks to, Montirob, who shared the Frost Bank Headquarters HDRC link with us, I've gone hunting for more site plans for San Antonio.

Here is the site plan for the Thompson Hotel & Residences. It includes the elevations, and the good news is it's taller than we thought it was.

The building elevations start on page 76.

https://sanantonio.legistar.com/Legi...|Text|&Search=

The heights are:

313 feet 8 inches to the top of the main roof parapet

305 feet 8 inches to the mechanical penthouse roof.

285 feet 8 inches to the main roof slab.

It also doesn't show it having 21 floors. It only shows 20 floors. The height of the 20th floor is 268 feet 4 inches.

The 20th floor is also where the setback is on the east side of the building. The setback on the west side of the building is just below 286 feet.

69 feet to the podium (5th floor).

It's also worth noting that these heights are measuring the building from the street level, but the building elevations also show the elevation as measured from the riverwalk level, which is an additional 12 feet lower. That means every height I just listed would be 12 feet higher when viewed/measured from the riverwalk level.

And, it's also worth mentioning that without counting the Tower of the Americas, this will be San Antonio's 8th tallest building. 314 feet is some decent height.

[KevinFromTexas]

That site plan also notes that there will be a skybar on the 20th floor, which I'm assuming will be public. You probably won't necessarily have to be a hotel guest to visit it. So it'll double as a public observation deck.

[Fryguy]

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

Thanks to, Montirob, who shared the Frost Bank Headquarters HDRC link with us, I've gone hunting for more site plans for San Antonio.

Here is the site plan for the Thompson Hotel & Residences. It includes the elevations, and the good news is it's taller than we thought it was.

The building elevations start on page 76.

https://sanantonio.legistar.com/Legi...|Text|&Search=

The heights are:

313 feet 8 inches to the top of the main roof parapet

305 feet 8 inches to the mechanical penthouse roof.

285 feet 8 inches to the main roof slab.

It also doesn't show it having 21 floors. It only shows 20 floors. The height of the 20th floor is 268 feet 4 inches.

The 20th floor is also where the setback is on the east side of the building. The setback on the west side of the building is just below 286 feet.

69 feet to the podium (5th floor).

It's also worth noting that these heights are measuring the building from the street level, but the building elevations also show the elevation as measured from the riverwalk level, which is an additional 12 feet lower. That means every height I just listed would be 12 feet higher when viewed/measured from the riverwalk level.

And, it's also worth mentioning that without counting the Tower of the Americas, this will be San Antonio's 8th tallest building. 314 feet is some decent height.

Wow. This is big news. It was also stated to be 273 feet in height, this is better. I have always felt no building downtown or on the River should be less than 300 feet. So, yay!

[jaga185]

Originally Posted by Fryguy

Wow. This is big news. It was also stated to be 273 feet in height, this is better. I have always felt no building downtown or on the River should be less than 300 feet. So, yay!

I think it's because it sits on a northern part of the river, and no shadows will get cast.

[KevinFromTexas]

Originally Posted by Fryguy

Wow. This is big news. It was also stated to be 273 feet in height, this is better. I have always felt no building downtown or on the River should be less than 300 feet. So, yay!

It does seem like there was some historical height restriction to that number. So many of San Antonio's old buildings were under 300 feet, the Tower Life Building being the notable exception. I think the only other exception was the San Antonio Crowne Plaza Hotel on Pecan Street, which had originally been an office building. I always forget how old that building is. It was built in 1957. It was one of the few tall buildings built in Texas during the 1950s.

Here are a couple of postcards of San Antonio from the late 60s/early 70s - the first photo obviously taken from the Tower of the Americas.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Aerial-View...-/122382952147

https://www.ebay.com/itm/San-Antonio...75.c100623.m-1

[JACKinBeantown]

This one looks like the San Antonio I remember as a kid.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Aerial-View...-/122382952147

[Fryguy]

Originally Posted by JACKinBeantown

This one looks like the San Antonio I remember as a kid.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Aerial-View...-/122382952147

The sad part - not much as charged. But a lot of change is in the works for the next two years. But I am afraid that might be it for a while. The building boom we are in is just about over. I'll say it again - if nothing big (similar to the Frost) is announced by year end, then that's it for a while. And we can only hope for another building boom with more structures over 300 feet - and more on the River. Perhaps I revitalization/reevaluation of the property next to the new hotel on the Soledad Street, the building that would have been 300 or so ft, plus would have looked incredible against the backdrop of surrounding structures, especially the new Frost Tower.

[AwesomeSAView]

Originally Posted by Fryguy

The sad part - not much as charged. But a lot of change is in the works for the next two years. But I am afraid that might be it for a while. The building boom we are in is just about over. I'll say it again - if nothing big (similar to the Frost) is announced by year end, then that's it for a while. And we can only hope for another building boom with more structures over 300 feet - and more on the River. Perhaps I revitalization/reevaluation of the property next to the new hotel on the Soledad Street, the building that would have been 300 or so ft, plus would have looked incredible against the backdrop of surrounding structures, especially the new Frost Tower.

Can you explain WHY you think the building boom is over?

[micahinsa]

Originally Posted by AwesomeSAView

Can you explain WHY you think the building boom is over?

How about because San Antonio’s dominant industries don’t require extensive amounts of class A commercial space?

[Rynetwo]

Originally Posted by micahinsa

How about because San Antonio’s dominate industries don’t require extensive amounts of class A commercial space?

Huh?

Besides Frost, nothing going up in CBD is office space.

[JACKinBeantown]

I get the feeling Weston is up to something cool in the area around Frost. Plus the San Pedro Creek version 2.0 will pull some attention its way. There's a lot to be had in downtown San Antonio and it looks kinda like it did in Austin about 13 years ago when it got its Frost masterpiece. Then taller buildings started blocking its view. (Fonzie says) 'eeeeyyy. (Or maybe it's Disco Stu.)

[Rynetwo]

Originally Posted by Fryguy

The sad part - not much as charged. But a lot of change is in the works for the next two years. But I am afraid that might be it for a while. The building boom we are in is just about over. I'll say it again - if nothing big (similar to the Frost) is announced by year end, then that's it for a while. And we can only hope for another building boom with more structures over 300 feet - and more on the River. Perhaps I revitalization/reevaluation of the property next to the new hotel on the Soledad Street, the building that would have been 300 or so ft, plus would have looked incredible against the backdrop of surrounding structures, especially the new Frost Tower.

You are kidding right? Probably not.

If you do not think downtown has changed then you don’t know downtown.

[KevinFromTexas]

Originally Posted by Fryguy

The sad part - not much as charged. But a lot of change is in the works for the next two years. But I am afraid that might be it for a while. The building boom we are in is just about over. I'll say it again - if nothing big (similar to the Frost) is announced by year end, then that's it for a while. And we can only hope for another building boom with more structures over 300 feet - and more on the River. Perhaps I revitalization/reevaluation of the property next to the new hotel on the Soledad Street, the building that would have been 300 or so ft, plus would have looked incredible against the backdrop of surrounding structures, especially the new Frost Tower.

I wouldn't worry about it, guys. It was 15 years between 1987 and 2002 from when Austin saw another office tower completed. Granted, it's been longer than that for San Antonio, but you guys had way more office space built in some pretty good sized buildings outside of your downtown. None of that happened in Austin on that level, and we're just playing catchup here. After 2002, the Frost Bank Tower came along (completed) in 2004 and it was another decade before the next office tower was completed in downtown. We're only getting a few more now, but I think that's been driven by the residential in downtown and the tech companies that are deciding to ditch the suburbs for downtown digs.

My assumption is companies won't want to be in the thick of the touristy area of Downtown San Antonio, but you guys actually have a big downtown with a lot of room to grow, and room that is oriented away from the tourist focused hotels and attractions on the east side of downtown. I would be betting the west side of downtown will be where most of the major office growth happens in the future. There won't be as much restrictions on height because the river doesn't reach in that direction and there are plenty of open lots that could be developed. I would assume everything from San Marcos Street east to Cherry Street, and from Cesar Chavez north to Laurel Street could see development. That is a huge area.

[AwesomeSAView]

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

I wouldn't worry about it, guys. It was 15 years between 1987 and 2002 from when Austin saw another office tower completed. Granted, it's been longer than that for San Antonio, but you guys had way more office space built in some pretty good sized buildings outside of your downtown. None of that happened in Austin on that level, and we're just playing catchup here. After 2002, the Frost Bank Tower came along (completed) in 2004 and it was another decade before the next office tower was completed in downtown. We're only getting a few more now, but I think that's been driven by the residential in downtown and the tech companies that are deciding to ditch the suburbs for downtown digs.

My assumption is companies won't want to be in the thick of the touristy area of Downtown San Antonio, but you guys actually have a big downtown with a lot of room to grow, and room that is oriented away from the tourist focused hotels and attractions on the east side of downtown. I would be betting the west side of downtown will be where most of the major office growth happens in the future. There won't be as much restrictions on height because the river doesn't reach in that direction and there are plenty of open lots that could be developed. I would assume everything from San Marcos Street east to Cherry Street, and from Cesar Chavez north to Laurel Street could see development. That is a huge area.

You are right Kevin, about the "outside of downtown" office buildings. I sometimes imagine what downtown SA would look like if all those high rise office buildings "outside of downtown" were built in the CBD of San Antonio.

[JACKinBeantown]

Originally Posted by AwesomeSAView

You are right Kevin, about the "outside of downtown" office buildings. I sometimes imagine what downtown SA would look like if all those high rise office buildings "outside of downtown" were built in the CBD of San Antonio.

It would add some density but not much height.