With the redevelopment of the Henry Terrell building complete, the first two business tenants have moved into the historic downtown structure.
Located at 212 N. Alamo St., the Henry Terrell building is now home to the headquarters of the thriving local startup Irys Technologies, as well as the San Antonio office of the Houston-based workforce development company Kaduceus.
Built in 1909 by lawyer Henry Terrell, the son of a prominent businessman, the building’s brick Renaissance Revival-style structure cost about $4.8 million to renovate, said Donald Degollado, an opportunity zone development manager at Clearinghouse. California-based Clearinghouse acquired the building in July 2019 through a partnership, ALAMO QOZB LLC. Renovations were finished in 2023.
Degollado, a San Marcos resident, said he and his peers are excited to have “high value” tenants such as Irys Technologies and Kaduceus move into the historic building.
The Henry Terrell building is Clearinghouse’s first San Antonio investment, Degollado said, adding that the community development financial institution, or CDFI, is excited to be breaking into downtown San Antonio. CDFIs are specialized financial institutions that provide financial products and services to populations and businesses located in underserved markets.
“The big takeaway is we’re thrilled, for lack of a better word, to be in San Antonio, and we’re looking to grow our presence — to grow our trajectory here,” Degollado told the San Antonio Report. “We’re bullish on the San Antonio market.”
Degollado added that Clearinghouse is still seeking potential tenants for the building’s first floor, and ideally wants to put an established retailer such as a local clothing boutique or successful coffee shop in the downstairs space. While several startups have inquired about the space, he added they haven’t found the right fit yet.
“We’re looking for someone established who will do well in this historic space, we want to honor the building’s history,” he said. “We’re looking for something that honors the local area as it’s growing. Downtown is heading in the right direction and we want to continue that trajectory.”
Beto Altamirano, CEO of Irys Technologies and a 2025 mayoral candidate, said the move into the renewed space is a meaningful moment for Irys. Over the past five years, the growing company has had several headquarters around San Antonio, including on the city’s West Side and near the San Antonio International Airport. This move back to downtown symbolizes Irys’ commitment to innovation, growth and community, Altamirano said.
The new location for Irys allows the company, which employs 80, to be closer to its collaborators and clients, many of whom operate from within innovation hubs around the city such as Port San Antonio, VelocityTX, Geekdom and UTSA, Altamirano noted.
“We toured a lot of locations,” Eduardo Bravo, co-founder and chief operations officer of Irys Technologies, told the Report. “There’s plenty of office space available downtown right now, and they’re all great — but they all had something that was already built in, right? When we walked into this one, we knew it was the perfect fit.”
