Shiner Beer owner puts $1 million behind Alamo plan

The Impetus Foundation, led by Spoetzl Brewery owner and philanthropist Carlos Alvarez and his family, has contributed $1 million to the Remember the Alamo Foundation.

The gift will support the preservation and restoration of the Alamo grounds as part of a larger transformation of the historic area.

That Alamo Plan will include a new exhibition hall and collections building, set to open later this year, that will house the Phil Collins Texana Collection. The 24,000-square-foot structure will include a second-story area overlooking the Alamo Gardens that will be named the Alvarez Family Terrace in recognition of the gift.

Alamo Trust Inc. officials said the unique outdoor venue will be available for special events and other gatherings to help support further preservation of the Alamo and surrounding structures. The Exhibition Hall and Collections Building will also house A Collector’s Journey, an exhibit inspired by the Phil Collins Collection. In 2014, Collins donated his artifacts to the General Land Office of Texas. His collection and those of other donors led to the construction of the first new building on the Alamo grounds since the 1950s. Collins is a singer-songwriter perhaps best known for his tenure with the band Genesis.

In February, the Business Journal reported that a multiyear battle over downtown real estate across from Texas’ most recognizable landmark had ended as Phillips Entertainment reached an agreement with the Texas General Land Office for an early termination of its leases at the Woolworth and Plaza buildings across from the Alamo. As a result, the company will shutter three of its Alamo Plaza businesses to make way for work on a planned $150 million Alamo Museum and Visitors Center that will help anchor the larger Alamo area transformation.

Alamo Trust Inc. Executive Director Kate Rogers said in January that stakeholders needed to raise roughly $140 million through private sources to fund the landmark improvements.

Editor’s note: This story was published through a partnership between KSAT and the San Antonio Business Journal.

Click here to read the story in the San Antonio Business Journal.

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