Slip-Sliding Backwards on Alamo Plaza Signage

Such a sad birthday greeting this morning on my way to workout.  The 1891 Reuter Building is one of the most handsome landmarks on Alamo Plaza.  Yet there he is – a huge Shamu brazenly filling the building’s beautiful arched window.  I was too saddened to even stop and take a photograph.     

This violates the City’s Unified Development Code in so many ways, particularly as I am sure Sea World is not behind those doors.  Will no one put a stop to the runaway commercialization of the Alamo Plaza Historic District?     

I hope the San Antonio Conservation Society will decide to spring into action to defend this affront to the Society’s property.  This is the Conservation Society’s facade according to its website:     

The facade was given to the San Antonio Conservation Society Foundation by the building’s owner, Mr. Thomas Wright, in May, 1978, and was the first such gift accepted by the Foundation. It was restored with funds from the Foundation, the owner, and a matching grant from the U.S. Department of the Interior administered by the Texas Historical Commission.     

The Society helped shrink the banner; surely they can shrivel up this Shamu beached on Alamo Plaza.     

Update on August 14:   Pictures do say it better; so I went back to Alamo Plaza on my morning walk.   Tried to restrict photos to the topic at hand, but portable signboards are creeping back out some of the businesses’ doors and the Alfred Giles-designed Crockett Block has the same window issues as the Reuter Building.     

This photograph shows the commercialization of the facade of the Reuter Building prior to the installation of Shamu in the middle window.

Shamu flips his tail at the signage regulations governing the Alamo Plaza Historic District.

Signage completely masks most first-floor windows of the Alfred Giles-designed Crockett Block.

The number of these full-window-size ads has multiplied in the past several months.

Sandwich boards creeping back out the doors in the historic district, despite Sam’s earlier efforts.

Update on August 31:  The Historic Design and Review Commission has some tightening of signage regulations on its agenda tomorrow, which is great.  But only if it is enforced.  Hopefully, the tightening and clarification of who’s in charge means enforcement ahead….  We’ll know when we get to wave goodbye to Shamu, ads for the Buckhorn and all the other clutter.