Facts

Location  |  San Antonio TX

Year Completed  |  2021

Type of Project  |  Exterior & Interior Rehabilitation; New Addition

Services Performed  |  Full Architectural Services (Exterior only); Historic Tax Credit Prep

Contractor  |  Guido Construction Company

Photos |  Dror Baldinger

In association with Douglas Architects & Tobin Smith

Thoughts

Built in 1894, this historic property is situated on a "corner" riverwalk lot near Main Plaza in downtown San Antonio. The building had previously been a Chinese restaurant but had fallen into major disrepair once the restaurant closed. The building suffered from many not-so sensitive renovations over the years that left the building a shell of its former self. At one point, the sculpted and articulated front façade had been completely cut back to create a flatter plane to which a continuous stucco coat was installed across the entirety for a more contemporary aesthetic. A local preservation developer purchased the building with the goal of restoring the original façade as much as possible. Fisher Heck was hired as a consultant to Douglas Architects, to help rehabilitate the exterior of the building as a larger effort to fully renovate the entire building into a mixed-use dwelling in the heart of downtown San Antonio. The project also included the design of a new external public elevator and staircase that not only serves each of the building's floors, but also the basement and riverwalk below. The river level was transformed into a bar; the ground floor took advantage of the former restaurant footprint and became a new modern restaurant, while the upper two floors became office space with micro-apartments above.

Awards

Power of Preservation | 2021 Best Preservation Project Award