After leaving its previous home of six decades, the collection showcasing Lone Star State history and tradition has some new digs.
SAN ANTONIO — After nearly two years without a permanent home, UT San Antonio’s Institute of Texan Cultures (ITC) is opening a new chapter in downtown San Antonio.
The institute will open its new transitional location at Frost Tower on Thursday, 19 months after its former home at Hemisfair closed after nearly 60 years. The Hemisfair site is set to become part of a future Spurs arena development.
The new space, located at the corner of West Houston and Cameron streets, offers a significantly smaller footprint than the institute’s former home in the Texas Pavilion building, which featured multiple levels and about 45,000 square feet of exhibit space. The Frost Tower location spans roughly 8,000 square feet.
Despite the smaller size, leaders said the new space was designed with intention and creativity.
“It is exciting, but also a bit vulnerable at the same time, because this has truly been a work of heart,” said Bianca Alvarez, head curator for the ITC.
Construction of the new space began as a blank slate, allowing curators and designers to reimagine how the institute tells Texas stories.
“Before construction started, we didn’t even have floors. It was dirt,” said Dr. Monica Perales, associate vice provost for the ITC. “It was a complete raw space, which allowed us to get creative and see what might be possible.”
The Frost Tower location serves as a transitional home for the institute. Inside, visitors will find immersive exhibits, interactive touchscreens, a main gallery titled Common Threads and a rotating gallery designed to highlight different themes and stories from across Texas.
“Here we are looking at 8,000 square feet,” Alvarez said. “That means the onus is on us. We have that charge and responsibility to tell a Texas-sized story. We have to keep changing, researching and being creative. It is intended to change over time. The artifacts and the stories, everything you see in this space, our intention is rotate artifacts and objects.”
One familiar piece has returned as part of the move: the iconic neon Texas flag.
“It was original to Hemisfair in 1968,” Perales said. “We brought it here and it is shining every brightly. So I think people are going to be happy to see that.”
When asked about plans for the museum’s next permanent location, UT San Antonio leaders said in a statement that while those plans haven’t been finalized, “we will use this period to thoughtfully evaluate how the Frost Tower space serves the museum’s needs and to help inform the exciting and long-term vision for the Institute’s future.”
The latest iteration of the ITC opens to the public Thursday. For its debut week, admission will be free until Sunday.
Regular operating hours will be Thursday through Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with Wednesdays reserved for school field trips.