SAN ANTONIO – The west side of downtown San Antonio is undergoing a transformation that is expected to revitalize the area.
Bexar County officials and the San Antonio River Authority on Friday unveiled the next steps of the highly-anticipated San Pedro Creek Culture Park.
“We’re bringing life back to it and really changing the dynamics of the inner city,” said Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff.
“It’s about 80% complete, but this is the San Pedro Creek project, phase one, so it’s kind of the heart of the project through downtown,” said Justin Rodriguez, Bexar County Pct. 2 Commissioner.
The second and third segments of this phase, which stretch from Houston Street to Caesar Chavez Boulevard, are scheduled to be done this October.
The second segment will include a community gathering space around the preserved historic foundations of the St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church, the Klemke/Menger Soap Factory and the Alamo Ice and Brewing Company, located at the corner of Houston and Camaron Streets.
“When the phases open up and you see water flowing through the creek here, it’s going to be really cool,” said Derek Boese, general manager at the San Antonio River Authority.
This construction includes five new bridges, an interactive sculpture, a 250-foot waterfall and a five-panel ceramic mural displaying San Antonio’s and Bexar County’s history.
“We tell the history through murals and retell it through signs on it and the inscriptions in the stone,” said Wolff.
“It’s kind of a walking museum with the murals and the artwork, the history and the founding of San Antonio in Bexar County,” said Rodriguez.
When completed, it is also expected to be an economic driver in the area. The space will feature direct access to UTSA’s future School of Data Science and National Security Collaboration Center.
“You’re going to see a lot of just interest from the community. I think of the economic investment we’re already seeing with the new UTSA building,” said Boese.
But the project ultimately connects the city’s present with the past and gives life to the West Side of downtown.
“Everybody can feel proud of integrating what was neglected in the past,” said Wolff. “We knew what a new project would do along water and how it would generate activity. We began the design of it, nine years later and we are close to completing the major aspect of it.”
“This is a project that has been many years in the making,” said Rodriguez. “It’s really more for the citizens of San Antonio and making sure that they understand and appreciate the foundation of our community.”