SAN ANTONIO – A city panel gave the go-ahead for a historic house at Hemisfair to be transformed into a Sichuanese-Chinese restaurant.
The City of San Antonio’s Historic and Design Review Commission on Wednesday approved conceptual designs for the renovation of the Kusch House, a 19th-century Gothic Revival house in the Tower Park portion of Hemisfair.
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It will be the new home to Kusch Faire, from Chinese-American restauranteur Kristina Zhao who also owns DASHI Sichuan Kitchen + Bar and Sichuan House.
“The Hemisfair family has been very kind and supportive, and we have been in alignment with the organization’s vision to create one of the world’s great public spaces with principles of leadership, preservation, connectivity, balance and sustainability,” Zhao said in a news release. “My team and I are beyond honored and excited to bring a Sichuanese-Chinese concept for operation at the Kusch House and for the partnership opportunity to create, cultivate knowledge and inspire curiosity in our increasingly diverse community together.”
The release states that the restaurant will include a “popular mix of dishes” from her existing restaurants, grab-and-go options for people to picnic in the park and products from Zhao’s Asian Market.
John Kusch, a stonemason, built the home that stayed in the Kusch family until HemisFair ‘68. It includes a front and rear porch, and outdoor seating areas with views of the Tower of the Americas.
Construction is slated to begin this fall and the restaurant is expected to open in the summer of 2024.
It will be the first historic structure to be redeveloped within Tower Park — one of three phases within Hemisfair. The other two are Yanaguana Garden and Civic Park, which is under construction.
“The Hemisfair food scene is expanding rapidly, and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome this wonderful concept and restauranteur to our district,” Hemisfair CEO Andres Andujar said in the release. “As we are coming up on the 55th Anniversary of the World’s Fair this Thursday, and its theme of ‘Confluence of Civilizations’ it’s clear that we’re honoring that through the food offerings at Hemisfair.”
The release adds that the Kusch House will be rehabilitated thanks to a $750,000 grant from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation.
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