Tag: san antonio river walk

Adding a Contemporary Backdrop to a Municipal Landmark

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A flood control project eliminating some of the bends of the San Antonio River as it snaked through downtown created a new plot of land enabling the City of San Antonio to cobble together the real estate needed for the Municipal Auditorium, with a distinctive Spanish Colonial Revival profile designed by architects Atlee B. Ayres, Emmett Jackson and George Willis. The $1.2-million Municipal Auditorium opened, lit “from pillar to post” according to the San Antonio Express, on April 19, 1926, with the Texas Pioneers’ Ball:

The result is an auditorium which Mayor Tobin declares without reservation is the finest in the country. Every sort of modern, practicable device has been installed to make the building the last word in structures of its kind….

Since its doors opened, the Municipal Auditorium hosted a huge variety of events – high school graduations, political rallies, boxing matches, concerts, Elvis, Fiesta coronations and even “midget women’s” wrestling – meaning many San Antonians have strong sentimental attachments to it. Which translated to emotional opposition when architects returned with recommendations that demolition of almost all but the distinctive façade would be required to create a facility appropriate for theatrical and musical productions of today. Layered atop the normal historical concerns was sensitivity over its prominent River Walk location.

But the stunning, contemporary solutions presented by the architectural team of LMN of Seattle and Marmon Mok of San Antonio won over many and secured approval.

Was fortunate enough to take a tour guided by Steve Souter and Morgan Williams of Marmon Mok this past week, and the transformation is amazing. Wood paneling the color of a Stradivarius violin is combined with cutting-edge programmable lighting around the upper decks of seating.

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When the Municipal Auditorium opened in 1926, the Express bragged about its seating; although it doesn’t sound as though fire codes on the number of people who could be stuffed into a room were quite as rigid as today:

The capacity of the auditorium is 6,000 persons who can be seated in the comfortable opera chairs. In event of an extra large attraction, more than 3,000 persons could be seated in extra chairs in the auditorium and on the stage. The stage alone can accommodate 500 people seated in chairs of 1,000 standing. The opera chairs in the auditorium alone represent an investment of $60,000. They are all extra large chairs, 20 inches across the seat. There are 18 oversize chairs for extra large persons. Such big people can find chairs that will accommodate them comfortably if they ask especially for them.

Seating on the ground floor in what will be the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts easily will top that, although not numerically. The main theatre will accommodate 1,750. The wooden ground floor in the photos represents a $12-million investment. But it’s a rather magical floor. Each segment contains seating on its flip side and can be individually rotated and/or elevated to allow for a multitude of configurations. Found a handy-dandy video of this online (Don’t be misled by the video heading; the operation of the Tobin seating will closely resemble that of this theatre in British Columbia.).

For a more intellectual analysis of the Tobin Center’s assets, turn to Mike Greenberg.

The first year’s bookings for the Tobin are as diverse as the Municipal Auditorium entertained and can be found here. The doors will swing open for the first events in September.

(Thanks for providing some of the interior shots, Janet and Allison.)

 

 

Wayfinding and New Accessibility Enhance River Walk Experience

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Always hated to have to break the news to lost joggers asking for help, the ones who looked really ready to be back in their hotel rooms, that they had veered off about a mile in the wrong direction.  But lately, few are in need of assistance.  The $250,000 wayfinding system funded by the Convention and Visitors Bureau and designed by Marek-Hill of Houston seems to actually work.  For the first time since I have lived in San Antonio, there is an informative, logical and cohesive look to River Walk signage.

Ben Olivo of the San Antonio Express-News writes that Juliana Marek is a product of Alamo Heights High School who:

likens a good system to a bread crumb trail, that it’s impossible, or rather impracticable, to cram mounds of information into a single sign.

“What a good sign system does is break down the information in understandable amounts, because people can’t digest as much as they’re moving around,” Marek said. “You really, really have to try and simplify the information as much as possible.”

Wall-mounted signs serve as quick references.
Signs come in varied shapes and sizes but are consistent in design.
Maps provide more detail for those wandering the river’s banks.
Signs clearly identify cross-streets.
New signage guides those on the River Walk to accessible routes.
Gentle ramping smoothly blends into existing riverside pathways.
This photo from the City of San Antonio’s website shows an entrance to one of the ramps.
Handsome metalwork now bridges the gaps by a fountain by Omni La Mansion del Rio.
One of the trickiest spots to provide accessibility must have been the narrow right of way by La Mansion del Rio.
Many pedestrians elect the new sloping ramps over taking stairs.

The signage also helps those wandering Paseo del Rio locate accessible routes, which, finally, most of the downtown River Walk is.  For years, many preservationists balked at altering Robert H.H. Hugman’s original designs to make accessible pathways, and the city shied away from the expense.  I must confess I, too, was skeptical architects could incorporate the necessary changes without damaging the aesthetic appeal. 

But Judy Babbitt, the city’s Access Compliance Manager, never quit in spite of strong opposition.  Judy always has been reminded on a daily basis where virtually every violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act is located downtown because she wheels it continually.  She literally has devoted decades to the campaign to eradicate unnecessary obstacles. 

According to the Public Works Department website, which includes accessibility maps: 

Since the early 1980’s, the City of San Antonio has been active in eliminating architectural barriers and in creating wheelchair accessibility to and along the River Walk. The City has improved more than 50 locations during these two decades, generating new ramps, pathways and, with the help of private businesses, new elevators.

As a frequent critic of the city’s tendency to “value-engineer” the character out of projects, I am totally bowled over by the sensitivity and quality of materials used in the new system of ramps.  They are handsome additions to the River Walk.  Sensitive areas, such as the stepping-stones by the fountain by Omni La Mansion del Rio, were not ruined.  The craftsmanship of the inserts eliminating the dangerous openings is exquisite. 

Like many pedestrians presented with the choice, I find myself often opting for the ramps over steps.  It feels good to stretch out one’s calves on the slight incline and reminds me what strength would be required to propel oneself up them using only arm-power.  Judy should have just challenged all the nay-sayers years ago to arm-wrestle her for the right to make Paseo del Rio accessible.  The paths would have been completed more than a decade earlier.   

Note Added on September 18, 2010:  More improvements ahead….

Update on January 27, 2012: The City’s efforts to make the downtown River Walk more accessible are receiving recognition:

The Governor’s Committee on People with Disabilities, in partnership with the Accessibility Professionals Association (APA), has announced the winners of the 2011 Accessibility Awards, which recognize businesses and organizations that go above and beyond the legal requirements to provide both physical and service accessibility to people with disabilities.

City of San Antonio Historic River Walk Downtown (San Antonio)
Owner: City of San Antonio
Design Professional: Beaty Palmer Architects, Inc – Michael Beaty AIA, Principal