Alamo Colleges District held a housewarming party of sorts Thursday morning to celebrate the official opening of the new district headquarters, located on North Alamo Street not far from the Pearl in Government Hill.
The three-story building with almost 160,000 square feet of space is situated on 12.5 acres and will house about 600 employees who previously worked in office spaces throughout the city.
“Students will no longer have to travel all over San Antonio,” alternate student trustee Dale Sampson said at the ribbon cutting ceremony.
Located on the former site of Playland Park, Alamo Colleges’ offices cost $55 million to build. The construction will be funded in part by the sale of the Alamo University Center and now-vacant community colleges office space on Houston Street, Sheridan Street, and Pat Booker Road. The four properties have been appraised at $17.4 million.
The building features a large outdoor amphitheater and a 300-seat community room where board meetings will be held.
Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff told the audience Thursday that he remembered coming to Playland Park in the 1940s. He marveled at the transformation that has occurred in the area since then.
“So you’re playing a critical role in bringing life back to a community that was basically here for so very long,” Wolff said in reference to the development on the near East Side. “We’re delighted that you picked this place to be.”
Alamo Colleges purchased the site in 2008 for $4.1 million. The community college system serves close to 100,000 students in Bexar County and seven surrounding counties.
