The Historic and Design Review Commission on Wednesday gave its approval for the Alamo Trust to build an interpretive mission gate and lunette in Alamo Plaza, structures that will significantly alter the surroundings of the historic mission and battleground site.
As the historic site’s nonprofit steward, the Alamo Trust worked with the Texas General Land Office, the City of San Antonio and historians to design a representative entrance to the Alamo site that gives context to a period in history from 1835-1836.
The mission gate and lunette, a set of walls in the shape of a crescent will be in place for three years and reviewed again at the end of that period, said architect Patrick Gallagher of Maryland-based Gallagher and Associates.
“Great work is going into the historical research and the building of these narratives and determining the most appropriate interpretive tools that will begin to unfold over the next number of months and years to come,” Gallagher said. “The new proposed mission gate will be one of those first zones of interpretation.”
The structure will provide an exhibit of items and a layout in keeping with historical records from 1849 to 1871 and is one part of the revised Alamo Plan, approved in August 2021.
Commissioners approved issuing a certificate of appropriateness for construction of the gate and lunette but not until after hearing from several citizens concerned about the design and placement of the structure, with one woman calling the design “hideous.”
A representative from the Conservation Society of San Antonio said the group was concerned about the project meeting all state and federal historic regulatory guidelines and disturbing archaeological remains during construction.
“Should these regulatory barriers be overcome, we would still find the scale and height of the new construction too large and disruptive for the plaza,” said Kathy Rhoads, president of the Conservation Society. “It distracts from the original buildings and risks being mistaken as historic.”
Cindy Gaskill, a resident of the Houston-area town of Magnolia, took issue with the plan as well, saying it would inhibit the use of Alamo Plaza as an open space per deed restrictions and that the proposed design is “ugly.”
“This is nothing short of a poor design,” she said in a recorded phone message played during the public comment portion of the meeting. “The scale seems off [and] the materials appear incompatible with the Alamo.”
Several commissioners and city staff met with Alamo Trust Executive Director Kate Rogers and the architects on July 12 and Aug. 24, according to documents submitted with the request. The meetings allowed commissioners to ask questions and give input on the designs.
City Attorney Andy Segovia, speaking as a representative of the Alamo Trust’s management committee, said that the group “feels strongly” that plans for the mission gate and lunette have improved through each of the design meetings.
Gallagher explained to the panel that the plan and program for the mission gate have been reviewed with historians and archaeologists “to define the appropriate locations for a representation of the mission gate and the temporary lunette installation.”
The project is intended partly to enhance the reverence of the site, Gallagher added. “By demarking the mission gate, we anticipate bringing the visitors into a whole new sense of reverence and engagement and storytelling on the site.”
But the gate will not impede the parade route that traditionally passes through the plaza, he said. The gate also does not block visitors from entering the area or moving about freely.
“This project has been in front of the THC [Texas Historic Commission] and received a not only just very firm support, but very moving support because of what the [Alamo Trust] is doing to help the visitors really understand this site in a more unique and three-dimensional way,” Gallagher said.
Commissioner Roland Mazuca questioned why the lunette, which depicts the structure built originally by the Mexican Army for battle fortification, then rebuilt by the Alamo defenders, is proposed as a temporary installation.
“We think that’s a really important story to talk about,” said Assistant City Manager Lori Houston. “It’s important to the history, it’s important to the battle.” Houston said that officials want to “learn lessons” after it’s installed and return to the review panel for recommendations on its next iteration.
“Maybe it works, maybe you want to change it,” she said. “But we do think that the lunette itself is important to the overall story of the battle.”
The process for handling artifacts or remains discovered during construction was raised by Commissioner James Cervantes.
Rogers assured the panel that the process is outlined by THC regulations.
“Anytime we find a feature of any kind, the THC has to come in and do an analysis and they make a ruling about what needs to be done with the feature,” she said, including whether the items should be excavation or permanently exposed as in the case of the west wall that was discovered several years ago.
Following a lengthy discussion with city staff, Cervantes made a motion for a continuance to allow for more discussion. But with no other commissioners agreeing, another motion was made to approve the request with staff stipulations.
City staff recommended approving the request stipulating that final construction details be developed that show the historic time periods to be represented and that a final material palette is submitted to the Office of Historic Preservation. Signage and interpretive materials also must remain in line with the Alamo Citizens Advisory Committee’s vision and guiding principles for the Alamo Plan.
Commissioners gave unanimous approval for the certificate of appropriateness.
Future projects associated with the Alamo Plan that also will be reviewed by the city’s historic and design panel include the construction of Plaza de Valero, the Alamo Promenade, Alamo Plaza and the Paseo del Alamo.
An exhibition hall and collections building will be the first major piece of an estimated $388 million overhaul of Alamo Plaza that includes a new visitors center and museum, education center, event hall and other historic interpretations.
Last weekend, Alamo Trust officials announced it has acquired hundreds of historic artifacts from collectors Donald and Louise Yena. The collection will be housed at the Alamo Collections Center, which is slated to open in early 2023.
