The Heart of Bexar County

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While we were dismayed about the condition of the former bank lobby, we could see how it could be turned into a stunning council chamber. I asked Alex to come up with a plan for the new public space. Six months after taking office we had a plan ready for the new chamber. In October 1991 the City Council gave preliminary approval to the plan then approved the final drawings along with funding on a 9-2 vote in November 1992. Over the next two years as construction and restoration was underway, I made numerous trips to observe the exciting transformation. During one of my surveys of the space, I took members of the Conservation Society with me. President Inell Schooler told me they had 24 portraits of former mayors, one of which was Mayor Bryan Callaghan. I went with Inell and other conservation members to a warehouse where the paintings were stored. They said they would give them to the city to hang in the hallway leading to the new Council Chamber and they also would donate $10,000 to have them restored. Paintings of later mayors would also be hung in the hallway. One and a half years after work had begun on the council chamber, we had a grand opening on May 19, 1994. The council chamber included 252 seats, and room for another 200 people in the mezzanine. The original ornamental ceiling that featured floral medallions was restored. Damaged cast stone and marble finishes were repaired, and the beautiful historic Tiffany lights were rewired and restored. The historic marble stairway that had led to the basement was moved and reinstalled to reach the mezzanine. A small conference room and as a large meeting room where city council could have work sessions were built, as well as offices for staff. q View of the mezzanine with restored ceiling and Tiffany lights inside the San Antonio City Council Chamber. C h a p t e r 1 I F 1 5
q San Antonio City Council Chamber. Hundreds of people attended the grand opening, many of them standing in the mezzanine looking down on the city council chamber. Tom Frost, president of Frost Bank, spoke of the pride he felt for this historic space. I stated that this chamber was built for citizens, and hoped they would all take pride in it. Hundreds of receptions, task force meetings, and commission meetings in addition to council meetings would be held in the chambers over the years. While work began on the council chambers, we began addressing the crumbling walls of city hall. Concurrent with the work on the new council chamber we began work on a $4 million restoration of the exterior walls of City Hall. We also built a media center and conference room where the old city council chamber was located. We completed the restoration of the exterior walls in 1995, before I was term limited out of office. In 2018, the city began work on restoring the interior of City Hall. While restoration work was underway, in 1992 I appointed a seven-member task force, chaired by June Reedy, to come up with a plan to revive our historic civic center, from the river east of the plaza west to El Mercado. Completed in October 1993, the historic civic center plan called for a pedestrian walkway from the river, through the plaza and City Hall grounds, across San Pedro Creek to El Mercado. The plan envisioned a major water element to connect Main Plaza to the River, a renovation of the plaza, restoring historic buildings, replacing San Fernando Rectory, and closing Trevino Street between City Municipal building and San Fernando Cathedral. During my term we closed Trevino Street and turned it into a plaza connecting the Cathedral and the Municipal Plaza building. We bought a parking lot adjacent to the river across Soledad Street from the plaza that could eventually be a link to the river. It would be up to future mayors to build a park entrance to the river and to restore the plaza. We will visit that story later. 1 6 F T H E H E A R T O F B E X A R C O U N T Y
Page 1 and 2: THE HEART OF BEXAR COUNTY RESTORATI
Page 3 and 4: First Edition Copyright © 2020 HPN
Page 5 and 6: CONTENTS FOREWORD .................
Page 7 and 8: q Architectural drawing of the Cour
Page 9 and 10: I E V O L U T I O N O F C I T Y H A
Page 11 and 12: q Above: Bottom, right: The Masonic
Page 13 and 14: q Architect’s Drawing of the Bexa
Page 15: II R E S T O R A T I O N O F C I T
Page 19 and 20: III T H E D E C L I N E O F T H E C
Page 21 and 22: 2 0 F T H E H E A R T O F B E X A R
Page 23 and 24: Both designs were ill conceived, mi
Page 29 and 30: q Bexar County Courthouse. submitte
Page 31 and 32: VI T H E C H I L D R E N ’ S C O
Page 33 and 34: q Above: Children’s court Judge R
Page 35 and 36: VII T H E F I R S T R E S T O R E D
Page 37 and 38: q Before and after restoration of t
Page 39 and 40: In 1996 Father David Garcia, belove
Page 41 and 42: IX L A D Y J U S T I C E by Tracy W
Page 43 and 44: q Top, left: The Lady Justice fount
Page 45 and 46: q Right: Lady Justice during the un
Page 47 and 48: q Above and below: Construction of
Page 49 and 50: With that picture of the original c
Page 51 and 52: q Above: June 17, 2018, King Felipe
Page 53 and 54: q Above: Removal of the Gondeck add
Page 55 and 56: q Bexar County Courthouse after the
Page 57 and 58: XII T H E B E X A R C O U N T Y A R
Page 59 and 60: q Above: Texas A&M-San Antonio Arch
Page 61 and 62: XIII T H E B E X A R H E R I T A G
Page 63 and 64: q Exhibits from the Bexar County He
Page 65 and 66: q Right: Northside view of the Bexa
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ABOUT THE AUTHORS C O U N T Y N E L
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APPENDIX A A R C H I T E C T S & C
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APPENDIX C A R C H I T E C T S & C
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APPENDIX D B E X A R C O U N T Y O
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7 4 F T H E H E A R T O F B E X A R
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JTM CONSULTING, LLC Drawing on a lo
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G BRACEWELL, LLP From top to bottom
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NICHOLAS & BARRERA, P.C. For nearly
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DAVIS, CEDILLO & MENDOZA, INC. G To
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LINEBARGER GOGGAN BLAIR & SAMPSON,
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LAW OFFICES OF SERNA & SERNA Growin
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G ESCAMILLA & PONECK, LLP Above: Pa
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WATTS GUERRA, LLP G Left: Mikal C.
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GUNN, LEE & CAVE, P.C. G Left: Ted
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THOMAS J. HENRY LAW Thomas J. Henry
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$34.95 978-1-944891-70-1 Ë|xHSLJOE
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The Heart of Bexar County

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