Though still uncertain, the Lone Star Brewery District‘s character came into clearer focus Tuesday with the announcement of two future tenants – an international movie theater chain and an expanding, Denver-based bar and restaurant that targets Millennials with vintage games and a “dirty modern” feel.
“We are thrilled to announce Cinemark and Punch Bowl Social as the first major tenants at the Lone Star Brewery District,” CBL Properties & Associates, Inc. Vice President of Development David Neuhoff stated in an email. “Both of these exciting entertainment venues fill a void in the Southtown market and fit perfectly with our vision of providing San Antonio with an unparalleled entertainment, retail, and dining experience.”
Peering down on the River Walk, about a mile downstream from Southtown’s Blue Star Complex, the $300 million development will provide a fairly even spread of retail, office, restaurant, and entertainment spaces, as well as a small hotel, by late 2018.
As with the Pearl Brewery, architects say they plan to root the space in its history by capitalizing on original structures and design elements, such as Lone Star’s classic white and red colors and railroad tracks.
(Read more: Ambitious Plans Take Shape at Lone Star Brewery)
The developers’ first two tenants will bring the strip-mall-style entertainment of the nation’s third-largest movie chain together with the authenticity of scratch kitchen cooking and crafted beverages.
Of its 522 theaters spanning 41 states and 14 countries, Cinemark has two San Antonio locations already, one in Leon Valley off of Loop 410 and another in the southeast, located at the McCreless Corner Shopping Center. According to developers, the theater’s Lone Star incarnation will include 10 auditoriums in a 34,500 sq. ft. space, with electric recliners, adjustable head and footrests, seat reservations, and a wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling large screen.
With an emphasis on eclectic design, quality food, cocktails, and a throwback to “simpler days,” Punch Bowl Social’s open, 25,000 sq. ft. space will provide activities like bowling, karaoke, pool, shuffleboard, and arcade games. With locations in Denver, Cleveland, South Chicago, Portland, Austin, Detroit, and Indianapolis, the restaurant is expanding rapidly by adopting a local feel in each of its diverse locations and conveying a sense of authenticity in what it serves.
Constructed in 1933 when an end to prohibition allowed Lone Star to resume operations, the brewery produced an array of historic beers beginning in 1940 until the company moved to Longview, Texas in 1996. During this time, visitors came from all over to party, swim in an Olympic-sized pool, and enjoy a number of other attractions.
Hoping to revitalize the brewery’s role as a communal focal point, developers say they’ve reached out to Lone Star, Roosevelt, King William, and Lavaca neighborhood associations and worked closely with the City. They’ve also incorporated this attitude in their design. At the site’s center, across from the hotel and a tree-speckled lawn, a Market Exchange surrounded by food stalls and restaurants will provide a central gathering space for the district. Directly to the west, Cinemark will attract movie-goers while to the northeast, past Lone Star’s iconic rusting silos, Punch Bowl Social will provide a more active form of entertainment.
“We believe these first-class tenants will help us fulfill our vision of reviving the Lone Star Brewery District as a dynamic and vibrant mixed-use destination,” CBL & Associates Properties and Aqualand Development stated in a press release. “We look forward to announcing a mix of additional local, regional, and national tenants in the weeks to come.”
Editor’s note: A previous version of this article stated that the Lone Star Brewery was constructed in 1883. Lone Star launched operations under Adolphus Busch at the location where the San Antonio Museum of Art currently resides in 1884, ceased brewing operations in 1918 and throughout prohibition, and reassumed at the location along Mission Road in 1933.
Top Image: The recognizable Lone Star smoke stack will remain a permanent fixture in the future of the complex during a development tour of the historic Lone Star Brewery in Southtown on August 10, 2016. Photo by Scott Ball.
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Really? A CineMark? Say it ain’t so!
They will fill a void that did not need filling with the same crap that exists in everywhere USA. What a tortured view of the history and innate beauty of the river ! I waited years for Lone Star to be developed and now wish it would remain frozen in time.
How can you say that? What could be more fun than singing karaoke to Rick Astley’s “Never Going to Give You Up” among out-of-town patrons armed with pitchers of stale beer and overpriced nachos at Punch Bowl Social?
After I take in a movie that is three weeks past its first run release at CineMark, I can then try to find my oversized SUV among the other oversized SUVs in the surface parking lots. This will soon become TripAdvisor’s Number 1 attraction to visit “while in the area.”
A little more work needs to be done on the history. To clarify, the building at 600 Lone Star was built in the 30’s. The original Lone Star Brewery, built in the 1800’s, is at 200 W. Jones, and is now home to the San Antonio Museum of Art. In my opinion, it also reflects a much grander vision for re-purposing historic buildings than what is being proposed at 600 Lone Star.
Thank you for clarifying that history. I wholeheartedly agree that The Pearl and SAMA represent a much more impactful way of re-purposing historic structures than turning them into strip malls or 7-11s. I went to the Untapped music festival last year on the grounds of the Lone Star Brewery last fall. The area has such a cool vibe to it, it seems a shame to dull that with bland, commercial chains rather than unique businesses that reflect our local character and culture.
Thank you Robert for your historical correction. The current article has been corrected to reflect the accurate history.
I think that we should be happy for news like this, and I think that we set ourselves up for failure when we hope for a replication of the Pearl. The Pearl is an anomaly. It never would have happened without Kit Goldsbury, who could sit on the property for years while it gained in value. It is, in my opinion, the most transformative development in Texas, but it took a lot of effort and a large balance sheet. Yes, one of the great elements of the Pearl are the local tenants. That being said, the catalytic anchor of the complex was the Culinary Institute of America, which, as wonderful as it is as a restaurant incubator, was never necessarily a local establishment. The Pearl, as it evolved, could survive by subsequently leasing to local tenants, but didn’t get off the ground because of them.
LoneStar is a different animal. There have been attempts to redevelop the site for over a decade. It was a brownfield site requiring a lot of environmental clean up. It is on the south portion of downtown, and doesn’t have the adjacency to demographics that are most attractive to retailers (high incomes). Rent levels in the area just started to get to a level for feasible multifamily development. So, to get the investment interest in redeveloping the site, the developers needed to get some national, credit worthy, tenants to anchor it. Just because they haven’t announced a Local Coffee or a bike shop doesn’t mean that there won’t be spaces for those tenants. It just means that to get the development off the ground, some credit worthy tenants needed to be secured.
I personally believe that Lone Star is going to be an excellent development. I think it is great that these two tenants are making their way downtown. I also expect that a lot of the historical structures will be preserved.
David
What I fear is that the new development at Lone Star will end up being more La Cantera, full of character-less national brands and chains, and less Pearl, where locals and tourists can experience an array of stores that show what a dynamic city we are. I understand that the Pearl developed in a very unique way that would be difficult to replicate, but I doubt many are looking for an exact facsimile of the Pearl. Instead, I hope that Lone Star will eventually develop its own identity as a destination, not be a blank palette to airdrop chain stores onto.
The developers envision this as a mix of both, from what I’ve heard. Yes, there will be Urban Outfitters-like retail outlets, but to be honest, it is frustrating that the only place we can go for higher end shops is all the way to La Cantera. I personally am excited for the mix of national chains and local establishments they’re striving toward here. We are so spoiled by The Pearl in San Antonio–this place will have soul and it will ALSO have high credit national tenants looking to rebrand into a historic site.
I always prefer to go local, but not everyone feels that way. Lots of people are going to love Punch Bowl Social and will appreciate a new, comfortable movie theater option that’s not all the way at The Rim. Rivercenter and Quarry theaters are run down.
Please also note that there will be abundant apartments in this development, so it won’t be all tourists.