SAN ANTONIO │ Official Hemisfair Redevelopment Thread

[JACKinBeantown]

Originally Posted by Spoiler

The Nice Lawn.

Nice.

[SpiritofSeguin]

Luminarias was a fantastic event but it was an odd choice to have the center stage next to UNAM and not follow the JazzFest layout having it facing the Nice Lawn. The asphalt lot on Alamo (which was where the Veterans Day event had the center stage) was pretty quiet which was unfortunate for the vendors there. It was a pretty steady and busy crowd but it felt stretched out and around 10pm it just started thinning out. Either way, Flaco Jimenez!

Also, the current official district map.

[JACKinBeantown]

^^ 20. The Nice Lawn

[Tornado]

not sure if this belongs here or in the UTSA thread but UTSA is looking at selling the ITC land and possibly building a new museum near the Alamo by the Crocket Hotel.


story below
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https://www.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/news/2023/10/27/utsa-explore-alamo-area-museum-move.html

The University of Texas at San Antonio has engaged more than a half-dozen firms with expertise in museums, cultural institutions, architecture and real estate development to assess three long-term options for the Institute of Texan Cultures, including the development of a new ITC outside its current Hemisfair home.

While UTSA has not yet ruled out a renovation of the more than 50-year-old pavilion that currently houses the ITC or its relocation to another Hemisfair structure, the university is now exploring the potential development of a new museum near the Crockett Hotel, footsteps from the Alamo.

Such a structure could span roughly 80,000 square feet and cost north of $100 million to construct based on preliminary numbers.

Veronica Salazar, chief enterprise development officer and senior vice president for business affairs at UTSA, said while all options are still being evaluated, the site near the Crockett Hotel, currently a surface parking lot, is “very favorable.”

The university has launched a process to fully explore the Alamo area site as an option. It’s entered into a memorandum of understanding with the city of San Antonio and with 1859 Historic Hotels, owners of the Crockett property. Salazar said that will allow UTSA to conduct due diligence on the site, a process that could take up to six months.

UTSA has looked at other potential sites outside of Hemisfair including its downtown campus. But the Crocket site offers some unique bonuses, including an opportunity to try and capture some of the roughly 2.5 million people expected to visit the Alamo area annually.

“We feel that it would be a prime location,” Salazar told me.

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A move of the ITC would also free up UTSA to put a key Hemisfair site near the Alamodome on the market.

“This will allow us to fully monetize the pavilion to provide a financial component for the ITC museum,” Salazar said.

Because the Crockett site is in the Alamo District it’s under the purview of the Texas Historical Commission. UTSA officials were expected to meet with the commission this week.

Salazar said as of now, the Crockett site is the preferred option, should UTSA look to move the ITC. But she stressed that no final decisions have been made.

The mission for UTSA, she said, is to make “deliberate, thoughtful and responsible decisions” regarding the ITC and its long-term home.

UTSA launched the evaluative phase of its Institute of Texan Cultures Centennial 2068 Visioning Process in 2022 following a year-long community engagement phase.

[Keep-SA-Lame]

Paging @jackinbeantown, your moment has arrived.

This is good news all around honestly. Smaller museum but their attendance will probably skyrocket with the better location and nicer facilities, and we get to nuke one of the worst placed parking lots in the city. And Jack gets his basketball arena.

[SpiritofSeguin]

That would be a literal dream come true. Eighty thousand square feet...by comparison the Alamo Collections Center is 24 thousand square feet and the Witte is 175 thousand. If they have the museum facing Bonham Street and a massive park behind it along Houston and Bowie where the historical cabins are relocated to...wow.

I will say I had a conversation with one of the Hemisfair managers who said an idea floating around was to negotiate moving ITC into the Riverwalk annex of Henry B. Gonzalez (the long strip of building that faces Civic Park) which is completely empty otherwise not used. That would be a wonderful spot too and would encourage a relationship with UNAM. The lagoons around Tower of the Americas will also be torn up completely soon.

[jaga185]

I've been saying those lots for YEARS would be the best location for the ITC. Glad that it's the favorable site.

[SpiritofSeguin]

Muertos Fest was most likely the last warm event of the year and man did the crowds turn up for Saturday. The potential for the greatest meeting place in the city is there, but Phase 2 is desperately needed because it's fairly difficult for those without foreknowledge to get here. Last year they stated it was 130k attendees (overall) and I think that was easily passed with taking over the new Civic Park with the stage, altars and food vendors. Kept hearing a lot of compliments about how nice and pretty the lawn and springs were but the Source Plaza and corridor will really seal the deal because right now it's a construction clusterfuck getting to the park by Alamo Street.

When it comes to the Hilton hotel/apartment construction site there's nothing new to report, still a waterlogged dirt field with trucks and some equipment parked.

Also, it's a nice little nod with the new streetlamps that they resemble the original design for Tower of the Americas.

[chancla]

I took the fam out to Civic Park on Sunday morning to avoid the crowds. All were impressed. The maples provided just enough shade but not too much so that you couldn't enjoy the views of downtown. From one vantage point, I could see Tower Life, the Emily Morgan, the River Center cluster, and the Tower of the Americas. Oh, and the kids loved splashing around. The lawn was just 'nice' but honestly, probably enough for our needs.

[SpiritofSeguin]

Diwali was intense. Other than IPW I'm struggling to remember when the Tower had some kind of light show display but I hope this trend continue for other Hemisfair events (Veterans Day, New Years, a Spurs win...).Maybe with the renovations next year the antenna itself can get a facelift in fixing the rusted part at the bottom and a light arrangement.

[SpiritofSeguin]

Two words: GO AWAY.



Quote from Director of the Conservation Society, "Our focus is that the building itself could be used for something else, could even be used by the Spurs"...??? What a moron, nobody wants that crappy building and what would the Spurs even want with it? It can't be used for an arena, it might make a decent storage locker.

[jaga185]

They are living in a fantasy. Not everything is historic, especially architecture like this. My understanding/theory is they want to preserve it based on personal feelings of being there as a kid rather than actual significance.

The good thing is the State doesn't award historical significance if the owner objects. So this will likely not pass.

[JACKinBeantown]

Originally Posted by jaga185

They are living in a fantasy. Not everything is historic, especially architecture like this. My understanding/theory is they want to preserve it based on personal feelings of being there as a kid rather than actual significance.

The good thing is the State doesn't award historical significance if the owner objects. So this will likely not pass.

I was there once and only once as a kid on a school field trip (4th grade?) and was bored out of my skull. The building was even uglier on the inside than it is on the outside. There is nothing culturally significant about this building other than that it was part of the Hemisfair, and the Tower of the Americas is a much better reminder of that event, both from an architectural point of view as well as being the most recognizable piece of the San Antonio skyline from anywhere within a 20-mile radius. Tear this POS down and put in either a new Spurs arena or something else that will actually add value to downtown San Antonio.

[jaga185]

State board approves historic listing for Institute of Texan Cultures structure

The Texas Historical Commission’s State Board of Review on Saturday unanimously approved listing the Institute of Texan Cultures on the National Register of Historic Places.

The next step is for the Texas Historical Commission to review the board’s findings and submit a request to the National Park Service for such a designation, according to Kathy Krnarvek, president of the San Antonio Conservation Society.

The board decision comes little more than two months after the Conservation Society confirmed that it would push for such protection for the structure, one of the last remaining pavilions from the HemisFair ’68 World’s Fair.

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Such a designation would provide financial incentives for the building’s owner, including a tax credit, to preserve the 155,000-square-foot structure.

“It’s a way for communities, investors and developers to examine opportunities to retain a building that is deemed important,” said Betty Bueche, a member of the Conservation Society coalition that’s worked to get the building on the national register.

The University of Texas at San Antonio currently owns the ITC building. In October, Veronica Salazar, chief enterprise development officer and senior vice president for business affairs at UTSA, said the university was evaluating options for the building and the museum inside it. Among the possibilities mentioned was the development of a new ITC museum near the Alamo.

Salazar told me roughly three months ago that UTSA had entered into a memorandum of understanding with the city of San Antonio and with 1859 Historic Hotels, owners of a site behind the Crockett Hotel, that would allow the university to conduct due diligence on the real estate. That process, she said, could take up to six months.

If the building is added to the national register its owner would need to apply to the state to make any material changes to the structure.

“It does not mean the building can’t be demolished,” Bueche said. “It could still be demolished.”

[JACKinBeantown]

It's such an ugly, flat building that takes up so much otherwise useful land and offers so little in return per square foot. Tear it down and move the boring collection somewhere else. Then either build a Spurs arena, some residentials with street level retail, or just turn it into a city park. Any of those options would be such better use of the land.

[SpiritofSeguin]

At the least, a hypothetical Spurs Arena (the Wembydome?) could incorporate the 'Flags of All Nations' plaza and the walkup leading to the ITC and in that sense could keep some of the structure intact. I very much enjoy those flags being there and it would be an excellent way of acknowledging the past while building for the future.

The structural report from a few years ago is all the evidence you need that the building simply has to go. No freight elevator, no true loading dock, no space for new exhibits, no ventilation, and it's previous experience with asbestos...come on, now. I will say I have very fond memories of the Asian Cultural Festival and eating some delicious food while gazing at the Tower...but that event isn't even hosted there anymore! It's time to join the future.

[JACKinBeantown]

Originally Posted by SpiritofSeguin

At the least, a hypothetical Spurs Arena (the Wembydome?) could incorporate the 'Flags of All Nations' plaza and the walkup leading to the ITC and in that sense could keep some of the structure intact. I very much enjoy those flags being there and it would be an excellent way of acknowledging the past while building for the future.

The structural report from a few years ago is all the evidence you need that the building simply has to go. No freight elevator, no true loading dock, no space for new exhibits, no ventilation, and it's previous experience with asbestos...come on, now. I will say I have very fond memories of the Asian Cultural Festival and eating some delicious food while gazing at the Tower...but that event isn't even hosted there anymore! It's time to join the future.

The outer wall size and shape are actually perfect for a new basketball arena. Gut the insides, then construct the rest of the arena over the existing shape. Personally, I say tear it down. But if someone somewhere feels the need to keep it, the arena addition is very feasible.

[jaga185]

Originally Posted by JACKinBeantown

The outer wall size and shape are actually perfect for a new basketball arena. Gut the insides, then construct the rest of the arena over the existing shape. Personally, I say tear it down. But if someone somewhere feels the need to keep it, the arena addition is very feasible.

This isn't a bad idea. Build on top of it and gut it. That way the conversation society can shut up. Besides, there are still about 10 years to plan this thing for the contract with the Frost Center. They can start planning now, gathering funds for the design and construction. The baseball stadium can go on the lot across from Bill's by the Alamodome(it should be torn down too, 30-year-old life expectancy loser).

[JACKinBeantown]

Originally Posted by jaga185

This isn't a bad idea. Build on top of it and gut it. That way the conversation society can shut up. Besides, there are still about 10 years to plan this thing for the contract with the Frost Center. They can start planning now, gathering funds for the design and construction. The baseball stadium can go on the lot across from Bill's by the Alamodome(it should be torn down too, 30-year-old life expectancy loser).

The Spurs are definitely part of Texan culture. Plus, we could name it The Brutal Dome. Let's do this!

[SpiritofSeguin]

Per the Express News, the Institute of Texan Cultures will close in May and soon be demolished. 8,500 square feet of museum exhibits will be on display on the first floor of the Frost Tower (do they mean the lobby or the actual first floor, which I think is tenant-occupied). The other 25k square feet is going into storage and apparently some of the exhibits have mold...hm.

But now that it's apparently really happening...I don't know. Why is VIA going to build an ART train that will connect Zarzamora to Downtown to the Frost Bank Center when it will soon (presumably) no longer house the Spurs? Will the Frost Bank Center eventually be demolished? Are we just building Alamodome 2.0? I won't be too sorry to see the ITC go but if it's between a brand new sports arena and housing for thousands of locals, replacing the housing demolished in 1968...what's honestly the most important thing?

If there is a legitimate successful train one day thats in a similar style to the Metro Rail connecting Downtown Houston and the NRG Center/Astrodome...what's the point of a Spurs Arena downtown specifically? Doesn't seem like there's much communication with VIA and those in City Hall wanting an Arena. And what about all the East Side residents promised benefits of the Spurs Arena that never developed? So sorry you're shit out of luck?