A last-ditch effort by a preservation group to halt demolition of the UT San Antonio Institute of Texan Cultures has failed.
The 15th Court of Appeals on Friday denied a request for injunction by the Conservation Society of San Antonio to stop the leveling of the historic structure built for the 1968 World’s Fair.
“We are frustrated that the merits of our case for injunctive relief have not been heard, allowing the building to be demolished,” stated Lewis Vetter, Conservation Society president.
“Once again, a public building is being destroyed with public dollars and no public hearing. This bodes poorly for the other historic properties owned by UTSA … If they did it once, they can do it again.”
It now appears demolition of the 180,000-square-foot building will continue, making way for a planned new Spurs arena anchoring a sports and entertainment district known as Project Marvel.
UTSA began dismantling the building earlier this year after obtaining a demolition permit from the Texas Historical Commission in December.
In April, a university spokesperson told the Report that abatement work was underway, not a full demolition, and the work continued.
As contractors began removing the building’s distinctive concrete wall panels, Conservation Society leaders filed in late March for a restraining order and temporary injunction, asking a judge to stop work.
The court ruled in favor of UTSA and the City of San Antonio stating it did not have jurisdiction in the case and the defendants could not be sued due to their sovereign immunity.
On April 16, the Conservation Society appealed, asking the 15th Court of Appeals to allow it to show evidence demonstrating that the city and university were not following the law in demolishing the historic structure.
Attorneys representing UTSA, writing to the court, said the Conservation Society filed its suit too late, after demolition already was well underway.
“Because the building is old and had not ever been modernized, it was asbestos-ridden. Thus, the demolition project was in a sensitive asbestos remediation phase,” wrote attorney Matthew Baumgartner. Pausing the demolition would have been “irresponsible and unwarranted,” he added.
An attorney for the city told the court that because it is not the property owner, it has no control over the demolition project.
On Friday, Justice April Farris denied both the appellant’s motion for emergency relief and the petition for writ of injunction.
As the case wound its way through the court since March, crews kept at the work to raze the ITC, removing its giant concrete panels, a connecting bridge and a fountain.
“Even if we were to succeed in our appeal, there is little left to save. It is already gone,” Vetter stated.
In 2024, the Conservation Society led a successful effort to put the building on the National Register of Historic Places and obtain a State Antiquities Landmark designation.
