Redeveloping the land at Hemisfair 'will best serve the future of the museum, the university and the community,' UTSA's statement said.
The Institute of Texan Cultures, currently located at Hemisfair, was originally designed and built for the World's Fair in 1968. On Wednesday, UTSA announced plans to raze the structure.Institute of Texan CulturesThe move comes following a three-year process the university undertook to determine the best use for the land at Hemisfair and to support the future museum.
UTSA President Taylor Eighmy said that the university remains committed to retaining and advancing the museum through its centennial in 2068, but that the demolition of the ITC building was key to that plan. Redeveloping the land at Hemisfair “will best serve the future of the museum, the university and the community,” the statement from UTSA said. “To accomplish highest use of the land requires removal of the Texas Pavilion.”Plans call for moving the museum to the first floor of Frost Tower, 110 W. Houston St., where it will remain for the next five years as the university pursues constructing a permanent space.
The university has since completed its due diligence on the hotel property as a viable location for the museum, “an option that could allow the university to tap into the 2.5 million guests who visit the Alamo each year, bringing in more visitors to experience the ITC’s collection,” read the statement.
Though UTSA had opposed a request by the Conservation Society of San Antonio to add the 1968 building to the National Register, the state’s historic preservation officer last month forwarded the nomination to the National Park Service.
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