Panel recommends transferring updating, UTSA’s Institute of Texan Cultures
For decades, the Institute of Texan Cultures has highlighted the diverse cultural heritage of the state’s residents, and many San Antonians have memories of visiting with classmates or attending festivals there.
But the building — constructed for the 1968 World’s Fair and cut off from the surrounding area by berms — has been hampered by decaying infrastructure, declining attendance, staff layoffs and outdated displays.
Now, an Urban Land Institute panel sponsored by the University of Texas at San Antonio suggests moving it to a new spot at Hemisfair and considering removal of its old digs to create a site for a hospitality school integrated with the urban park.
The panel was part of a broader effort focused on the museum’s future. It was made up of representatives from development, architecture and consulting firms in San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Charlotte and Arlington; the Capitol Riverfront BID in Washington, DC; and Arizona State University.
They met last summer with nearly 50 community members, including staff from the museum and university, and this month released a report with their recommendations.
The 182,000-square-foot museum building, which was the Texas Pavilion at the ’68 World’s Fair, is in poor condition and not easily accessible from downtown attractions such as the nearby Convention Center, they wrote.
“Massive deferred maintenance needs are causing significant risk” and it could cost more than $50 million to update the building to basic accreditation standards, they added.
“Without the supporting context of the 1968 amenities, the existing Texas Pavilion is not suitable for and integrated with the Hemisfair grounds, nor is the facility itself safe or suitable for ITC’s continued use,” they wrote.
The institute and its presentation of history and artifacts also need a refresh.
The museum has the potential to be a hub for educational and community activities, drawing a wider range of visitors and featuring more digital and interactive components, they said. Adding retail and food could also generate more revenue.
But that should be separate from evaluating the Texas Pavilion building, the authors wrote.
Jason Lopez, 38, picks up his four-month-old son, Lucca, as they pose for photo with his wife, Jashira De Leon, 39, second from right, and Jessica Velasquez, 29, in front of the neon Texas flag for a photo at the Institute of Texan Cultures, Thursday, Sept. 16, 2021. It was the first day the museum was open after the pandemic closure last year.
Jerry Lara / San Antonio Express News
They zeroed in on two relocation options for the museum — the John H. Wood Jr. federal courthouse building or a facility near the Tower of the Americas — and potentially removing the Texas Pavilion building.
UTSA could use the 14.7-acre site to build a hospitality school and hotel, capitalizing on the downtown location and the tourism industry’s prominence in San Antonio.
“This approach maximizes the land value and allows UTSA to create new revenue streams and strengthen community partnerships,” they wrote. “The ITC can inhabit another building better suited to enhance its reimagined mission.”
UTSA could also keep the building and renovate it for event space shared with the Convention Center, retail or a grocery store, but rehabilitating it would be expensive, they said.
In graphic representations of possible site configurations, they included mixed-use and retail components, a restaurant and food trucks.
The panel also suggested that UTSA partner with the city and the Hemisfair Park Area Redevelopment Corp., which is charged with revitalizing the World’s Fair site.
Visitors view exhibits at the Institute of Texan Cultures on Sept. 16, 2021, the first day the museum was open after closing due to the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.
Jerry Lara /San Antonio Express News
“What is clear is this opportunity is rare, occurring once in a 50-year horizon,” they wrote. “It can change the trajectory of the ITC, the city of San Antonio and the region.”
The panel stressed the importance of rebuilding trust with community members and making them part of the process of reconfiguring the ITC and Texas Pavilion site as well.
The University of Texas System asked developers to submit proposals for the ITC site in 2016 – a decision that “lacked a robust community engagement and review process and was highly controversial,” the authors wrote. The request was later withdrawn but the damage was done.
UTSA announced its ITC Centennial 2068 effort in 2021 and set up a steering committee and task forces focusing on three aspects: the museum, community engagement and support and facility and land stewardship.
On ExpressNews.com: Commentary: Envisioning an Institute of Texan Cultures for the future
It conducted a survey last fall to solicit community input and submitted ideas included offering more activities, updating the building, putting more material online and offering more research opportunities and classes for students and professors.
The steering committee will meet over the coming months to review residents’ feedback and reports from the task forces, UTSA said. Final options are expected to be available for input in May.
madison.iszler@express-news.net
