Aaron Hanson Thesis Book.pdf - NDSU - North Dakota State ...

case study #2Paseo Del Rio (Riverwalk)Location | San Antonio, TexasInvolvement | Conceptual idea lead by Robert H. H. HugmanScale | 17,000 ft new sidewalks, 31 stairways, 3 dams, 4,000trees, shrubs, and plantsCompletion | March 13th, 1941 first opened to publicHistoryThe San Antonio River has a rich historical background. The “city wasfounded in 1691 as a Spanish mission near a cluster of springs that fedthe San Antonio River” (Black, 1979, p. 33). It has been used by NativeAmericans, Franciscan missionaries, and other explorers as a mode oftransportation, a source of sustenance, and as a spiritual element, givingreason to encourage settlement (Hammat, 2002). The history of the river hasplayed and continues to play a major role in the development of communitiesin San Antonio.Figure 25. San Antonio River, 1800s. This image helped illustrate the river as a “street” toshow the importance the river held for early transportation.In September of 1921, a major flood caused 50 lives lost and $50 million indamage, primarily in the downtown area (Black, 1979). A strategy neededto be developed to project the city from flooding. In 1929, Robert Hugmanbegan imagining a riverfront corridor that resembled cities in Spain withsmall streets and nice shops and restaurants. Hugman began to express hisinterest in the river in a way architects know best: by preparing an elaborateset of drawings and maps. Hugman suggested a flood cutoff channel orbypass with gates to the entrance and exit of the big bend to protect it fromhigh waters, freeing the area from potential flooding and allowing it tobecome a linear park (Black, 1979).42