The City of San Antonio will host another community meeting next week to discuss the conceptual plan and other programming ideas for the $26.4 million renovation of the long-vacant Alameda Theater.
On Tuesday, Aug. 15 representatives from the City, Bexar County, Texas Public Radio, and La Familia Cortez will gather at 6 p.m. at Culture Commons, located in the Plaza De Armas Building at 115 Plaza De Armas. The meeting is scheduled to last until 8 p.m.
Participants are encouraged to bring any stories that may have about the Alameda, along with photographs, old performance tickets, or other memorabilia. It’s a part of the planning process designated as Recordando El Teatro Alamaeda, Remembering the Alamadea Theater.
The theater was completed in 1949 and served as a Mexican-American Entertainment venue featuring performances from Spain, Mexico, and the United States.
“I cannot stress enough how critical it is to preserve culturally significant spaces like the Alameda as they help tell the rich story of our city and serve as reminders and inspiration to future generations,” stated City Councilman Roberto Treviño (D1) in a news release. “I invite the public to attend the community meeting to learn more about the project and offer their feedback on the plans to revitalize the theater as the focal point for Latino films and performing arts.”
The building has sat vacant for the last 30 years, but the collaborative plans to turn the property into a revitalized venue for cultural programming while giving Texas Public Radio a new home by 2020.
“Bexar County has invested heavily in keeping the flame of hope burning for this iconic facility,” stated Bexar County Commissioner Paul Elizondo, Precinct 2. “We look forward to hearing from the community as to how to best restore and reinvigorate this cultural treasure for generations to come.”
The input collected from these meetings will help planners make about renovations, programming, and how to maintain the theater’s place in the history and future of local Latino culture. A vote on the plans for the theatre may be conduced on August 31, according to a source familiar with the process.
Items brought to the meeting will be scanned and incorporated into a future exhibit celebrating the history of the theater. Individuals with stories to tell are encouraged to arrive to the event at 5:30 p.m., so that they may be recorded before the meeting begins.
