A San Antonio skyscraper will transform into luxury apartments, featuring penthouses with views “unmatched” in the city, developers say.
SAN ANTONIO — A year out from welcoming its first tenants, a first look at the design for a downtown San Antonio skyscraper’s transformation into a hub for 242 luxury apartments has been revealed by those overseeing its next chapter.
Originally constructed in 1929, the 31-story Tower Life building was the tallest in San Antonio for several decades. Now an unimpeachable anchor of the downtown skyline, it’s being renovated into Tower Life Residences—a River Walk-adjacent apartment building with penthouses, shops and “unmatched views.”
It’s scheduled to debut in fall 2026, with units ranging from studios to penthouses.
“It’s exciting to work on something with this much history and significance,” said Krista McCabe, senior project manager at Texas-based Jordan Foster Construction, which is leading the development. “Our team is delicately ushering the building into its new life. We are committed to preserving what this building does best—serving a historically iconic purpose to our city.”
PHOTOS: First look at design concepts for luxury apartments at downtown San Antonio’s Tower Life building
Featuring neo-Gothic charm and iconic gargoyles, Tower Life was acquired in 2022 by Alamo Capital Advisors from a local ownership group that owned the building for nearly 80 years.
After the pandemic and increase in remote workers, office occupancy dropped throughout downtown. In 2022, the occupancy of the Tower Life Building was only 40%, a major factor in the decision to convert some of the floors to residences.
Two of those units will be penthouses featuring “180-degree views from two stories of living space.” A third penthouse will be even glitzier, with 360-degree views of the downtown skyline, which is experiencing its own modernization.
While we have an idea of what the apartments will look like, there’s no details yet on how high rates start at.