A second lighthouse made to look like the original has been proposed for Woodlawn Lake Park — except the new one will spray water as children play in the summer sun.
On Wednesday, the Historic and Design Review Commission is scheduled to consider a design plan for a splash pad at Woodlawn Lake Park, 1103 Cincinnati Ave.
The splash pad will be built east of Woodlawn Lake and adjacent to the swimming pool. Construction on the 2022 bond project is expected to start in early 2026 and be completed by the winter of 2027.
San Antonio architecture firm Ford, Powell and Carson is designing the splash pad. Renderings show a spacious hardscape with multiple water spray components and fountains, similar to those found at seven other city parks, including Pearsall Park and Hemisfair.
At the center of the proposed Woodlawn splash pad is a structure resembling the lake’s iconic lighthouse, built in 1936, but with water spouts up and down the sides.
The lighthouse is one of several other colorful elements proposed for the splash pad. Plans also call for an existing sidewalk to be relocated and an equipment storage enclosure to be enlarged.
The 80-acre Woodlawn Lake was created when a dam was built across Alazan Creek in 1889. Two artesian wells supplied the lake with water. At one time, the Crosstown Street Railroad operated a trolley across the dam from Woodlawn Lake to Houston Street downtown.
The City of San Antonio built the Woodlawn Lake pool and community center in 1928.
The splash pad project, part of a $2.9 million package of improvements for the park, must be approved by the commission because the popular and scenic park lies in the heart of the Woodlawn Lake Historic District.
Staff with the city’s Office of Historic Preservation have recommended approval of the plans.
