![]() ![]() “This is false historicism,” said Velasquez, a community organizer and affordable housing advocate who has worked for construction and architectural firms. Alamo officials have acknowledged the exhibit is a representation and not a replica: a scaled-down conception of how the Alamo's main gate, Low Barracks and a U-shaped fortification known as the lunette looked in 1836, the year of the legendary battle. The commission approved the exhibit despite reservations from the conservation society about its historical accuracy. ![]() But an Alamo spokesman on Thursday said rain delays are expected to push the opening back to next week. Travel Association that's expected to draw 5,000 tourism experts to the city. That exhibit, which the commission approved in October, was initially scheduled for a public opening Saturday - in time for a five-day conference of the U.S. Preserving the Alamo: Moisture threatens the church at the famed mission and battle site Velasquez took particular exception to a related element of the Alamo project: the Mission Gate and Lunette Exhibit in Alamo Plaza. Velasquez said the design has improved in recent months but still needs work. “In our view, the overall effect is at cross-purposes to the original intent of creating a place of reverence showcasing the authentic historic structures on-site.”Ĭommissioners Gabriel Velasquez and James Cervantes sought to delay approval. “Visually, with the proposed extensive landscaping and new construction, visitors arriving in Alamo Plaza from the south will not be able to see the Alamo chapel, negating their sense of arrival,” said Kathy Krnavek, a conservation society member, reading a prepared statement on behalf of the group. Two commissioners and the Conservation Society of San Antonio expressed concern that the design is too crowded with elements that could detract from visitors' appreciation of the Alamo's 300 years of recorded history. Courtesy / Alamo Trust, Inc., Gensler, OJB, and Gallagher & Associates / Courtesy / Alamo Trust, Inc., Gensler, OJB, and Gallagher & Associates A city panel approved a design this week for a shaded area south of the exhibit, in an area known as the Plaza de Valero. Timeline: How the Alamo project has evolvedĪn illustration provides an overhead view of the planned Mission Gate and Lunette Exhibit in Alamo Plaza, set to expected to open to the public some time next week. There will also be trees - existing trees as well as transplanted and newly planted ones.Ī north-south pedestrian promenade will run from Commerce Street to the Alamo on a part of Alamo Street that is closed to traffic. The plaza will feature a shade pavilion, outdoor seating, a grassy lawn and an irrigation system that will reuse water. ![]() The name harkens back to the Alamo's early 18th century origins as the Mission San Antonio de Valero. The plan calls for a fully accessible area known as Plaza de Valero bordering the historic footprint of the mission-fort on the south. The design, the latest phase in a massive, years-long makeover of the mission and battle site, won the support of the Historic and Design Review Commission on Wednesday. William Luther /San Antonio Express-News Show More Show LessĪ city panel has approved a plan for a pedestrian-friendly, shaded area directly south of the Alamo, despite concerns that it could interfere with sightlines to the iconic Alamo Church, undermine the site's historical accuracy and detract from the air of reverence that Alamo purists hope to preserve. The area immediately south in the background will be known as the Plaza de Valero, under a design approved by a city panel this week. The area in the foreground, known as Alamo Plaza, is where the main courtyard of the mission-fort was located. Courtesy Photo / Alamo Trust, Inc., Show More Show Less 3 of3 The commission approved a design this week for a shaded area south of the exhibit, in an area known as the Plaza de Valero. The planned Alamo Mission Gate and Lunette Exhibit, approved in October by the city’s Historic and Design Review Commission, is set to open to the public some time next week. Courtesy / Alamo Trust, Inc., Gensler, OJB, and Gallagher & Associates / Courtesy / Alamo Trust, Inc., Gensler, OJB, and Gallagher & Associates Show More Show Less 2 of3 The outdoor Mission Gate and Lunette Exhibit, providing a representation of the historic Alamo's main gate, is expected to open to the public some time next week.
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