Revamps of historic San Antonio public spaces revealed in new designs

New design documents submitted to the city show off big makeover for some historic spaces around San Antonio, including a neighborhood on the Southside and a river-level public space at Alamo Plaza. Developers plan to add new water features to Lower Paseo, that space between Losoya Street and Alamo Plaza, according to documents submitted to the Historic and Design Review Commission. 

Most people know the Lower Paseo as the area that is between the soon-to-become Alamo Visitors Center and Ripley’s Believe It Or Not. It’s also where Bier Garten River Walk is currently located. While the space is considered to be at the river level, it is separate from the main River Walk that is a block west at Crockett Street. 

The makeover of Lower Paseo is being led by design and planning firms OJB and Gensler, according to the documents, and will feature new greenery and a redesign of the current water feature. The plan, according to documents, is to pay homage to the importance of rivers and streams to the San Antonio missions and the city itself. 

The area currently has plant beds, but the rendering shows plants thriving in the Alamo Fountain water. The makeover will complement the complete redevelopment of Alamo Plaza and a new Alamo Visitors Center and Museum. 

On the Southside, Alamo Architects is designing the Bakke Development-led redevelopment of an area between South St. Mary’s Street and Roosevelt Avenue on the Southside. The project is called South Star, according to HDRC documents, is a mixed-use space that will be anchored by a two-story building with a rooftop terrace. Old warehouse buildings on the the site will be re-purposed into open air pavilions.