With Texas downtowns seemingly always under some level of construction aiming to bring some architectural or modern flare to city cores, but the shiny new designs could leave your eyes feeling the strain. A recently purchased high-rise could create fresh challenges for inner-city drivers.
Urban city dwellers in South and Central Texas are no strangers to construction and renovation. Scaffolding is aplenty, work trucks after reduce traffic flow, and modern sky-grazing structures are constantly on the rise. With these standard woes have come some treacherous encounters.
In August, an investigation was spurred after sheets of glass panels were dropping like flies off a 670-foot-tall skyscraper in downtown Austin, sending shards scattering as the plummeted toward city streets. A covered sidewalk was installed to avoid any serious injuries.
Now, a Frost Tower type building could be upping the shimmer in San Antonio’s downtown skyline, recreating a squint-inducing sheen that’s pretty impactful when traversing downtown streets. The blue glass tinting on Frost Tower, located at 111 W. Houston St., is hard to miss.
In walking along the sidewalks, sitting in stop and go traffic block after block around its perimeter or even driving along Interstate 37 at the wrong time of day could trigger a pain in the eye. The gleam off the tinted windows that span the entire height of the 22-story building cause magnified sun rays to hit directly into lines of sight when angled just right.
Even walking the streets around the iconic downtown structure reveals other pedestrians squinting and tilting their heads to avoid the glare or lifting their hands to block the beaming glimmers. It may not ruin your day, but the sudden glare can easily catch drivers off guard.
In an appeal before the Historic Design and Review Commission, a representative for Goodwill said the company plans to replace the windows on its newest downtown acquisition, the Rosa Verde Towers building across the river from Frost Tower located at 343 W. Houston St. It’s a former CHRISTUS Santa Rosa building that shuttered in early 2025.
“[Have] any sort of studies been done to see what sort of reflections might affect drivers or other businesses in the vicinity? I know in the past if something’s too reflective, or it’s the wrong angle or what have you, it effects other property owners as well as drives,” District 9 Historic Design and Review Commissioner Jeffrey Fetzer, a local architect pointed out to a Goodwill representative during the request to add the reflective blue glass.
Ultimately, the San Antonio commission tasked reviewing exterior modifications to landmarks or buildings in historic districts – Rosa Verde Towers was built in 1977 and sits within a River Improvement Overlay district – approved the installation of the reflective blue glass. A Goodwill rep did say they’d consider the reflective concerns, but it seems it’ll move full steam ahead.
“We have not heard of any concerns related to the energy-efficient windows slated to be installed. Before seeking approval, Goodwill had consulted with design and engineering experts to ensure the windows met safety and environmental standards,” a Goodwill spokesperson told MySA. “The unique, smaller “ribbon style” window design of the building should not only improve energy efficiency but contribute to the beautification efforts of the urban core.”