The San Antonio River Walk is a city park and special-case
pedestrian street
Pedestrian zones (also known as auto-free zones and car-free zones, as pedestrian precincts in British English, and as pedestrian malls in the United States and Australia) are areas of a city or town reserved for pedestrian-only use and in whi ...
in
San Antonio, Texas
("Cradle of Freedom")
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, one level down from the automobile street. The River Walk winds and loops under bridges as two parallel sidewalks lined with restaurants and shops, connecting the major tourist draws such as the
Shops at Rivercenter
The Shops at Rivercenter (formerly known as Rivercenter Mall) is a shopping mall located in Downtown San Antonio, Texas, United States along the city's River Walk. The anchor stores are H&M, Macy's (closing April 2021) and AMC Theatres. It also ...
, the
Arneson River Theatre
Arneson River Theatre is an outdoor performance theater located on the San Antonio River Walk in the U.S. state of Texas.
The open-air venue was erected 1939-1941 by the Works Progress Administration. The design was supervised by architect Rob ...
,
Marriage Island
Marriage Island in Downtown San Antonio, Texas, is an islet in the middle of the San Antonio River on the San Antonio River Walk that is used for weddings. River guides claim that it brings good luck to new marriages and that it is heart-shaped. I ...
,
La Villita
La Villita Historic Arts Village is an art community in downtown San Antonio, Texas, United States. There are art galleries, stores selling souvenirs, gifts, custom jewelry, pottery, and imported Mexican folk art, as well as several restaurants i ...
,
HemisFair Park Hemisfair may refer to:
* HemisFair Arena, an indoor arena located in San Antonio, Texas
* HemisFair '68
HemisFair '68 was the official 1968 World's Fair (or International Exposition) held in San Antonio, Texas, from April 6 through October 6, 19 ...
, the
Tower Life Building, the
San Antonio Museum of Art
The San Antonio Museum of Art (SAMA) is an art museum in Downtown San Antonio, Texas, USA. The museum spans 5,000 years of global culture. The museum is housed in the historic former Lone Star Brewery (1886) on the Museum Reach of the San Antonio ...
, the
Pearl
A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle) of a living shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is composed of calcium carb ...
, and the city's five Spanish colonial missions, which have been named a
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
, which includes
the Alamo
The Battle of the Alamo (February 23 – March 6, 1836) was a pivotal event in the Texas Revolution. Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under President General Antonio López de Santa Anna reclaimed the Alamo Mission near San Anto ...
. During the annual springtime
Fiesta San Antonio
Fiesta San Antonio (or simply "Fiesta") is an annual festival held in April in San Antonio, Texas, and is the city's signature event (along with some events held in the following surrounding cities: Boerne, Schertz, Windcrest, Balcones Heights, ...
, the River Parade features flowery floats that float down the river.
The area within the circumference of the River Walk is the heart of the original 1700s Villa de Bejar outpost, which would eventually become the City of San Antonio.
History
![Casa Rio in San Antonio](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/07/Casa_Rio_in_San_Antonio.jpg)
In September 1921, a
disastrous flood along the
San Antonio River
The San Antonio River is a major waterway that originates in central Texas in a cluster of springs in midtown San Antonio, about 4 miles north of downtown, and follows a roughly southeastern path through the state. It eventually feeds into the ...
took 51 lives, with an additional 23 people reported missing. Plans were then developed for flood control of the river. Among the plans was to build an upstream dam (
Olmos Dam
Olmos Dam is a detention dam located in San Antonio, Texas."Dams and Reservoirs in Texas: Historical and Descriptive Information, December 31, 1966," Cleo LaFoy Dowell, Seth Darnaby Breeding, ''Texas Water Development Board'', 1967. p.36 It was bui ...
) and bypass a prominent bend of the river in the Downtown area (between present day Houston Street and Villita Parkway), then to pave over the bend, and create a storm sewer.
Work began on the Olmos Dam and bypass channel in 1926; however, the
San Antonio Conservation Society
The Conservation Society of San Antonio (legally incorporated as the San Antonio Conservation Society) is located in the Bexar County city of San Antonio in the U.S. state of Texas. Founding members were Emily Edwards, who became the organizatio ...
successfully protested the paved sewer option. No major plans came into play until 1929, when San Antonio native and architect
Robert Hugman
Robert H. H. Hugman (February 8, 1902 – July 22, 1980) was an American architect who designed the San Antonio River Walk.
Born in San Antonio as Robert Harvey Harold Hugman, he finished Brackenridge High before graduating from the School of Arc ...
submitted his plans for what would become the River Walk. Although many have been involved in development of the site, the leadership of former mayor Jack White was instrumental in passage of a bond issue that raised funds to empower the 1938 "San Antonio River Beautification Project", which began the evolution of the site into the present 2.5-mile-long (4 km) River Walk.
Hugman endorsed the bypass channel idea (which would be completed later that year) but, instead of paving over the bend, Hugman suggested 1) a flood gate at the northern (upstream) end of the bend; 2) a small dam at the southern (downstream) end of the bend; and 3) a
Tainter gate
The Tainter gate is a type of radial arm floodgate used in dams and canal locks to control water flow. It is named for Wisconsin structural engineer Jeremiah Burnham Tainter.
A side view of a Tainter gate resembles a slice of pie with the c ...
in the channel to regulate flow. The bend would then be surrounded by commercial development, which he titled "The Shops of Aragon and Romula". Hugman went as far as to maintain his architect's office along the bend.
Hugman's plan was initially not well-received – the area was noted for being dangerous. At one point, it was declared off-limits to military personnel. People were warned of the threat of being "drowned like a rat" should the river flood. However, over the next decade support for commercial development of the river bend grew, and crucial funding came in 1939 under the
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...
(WPA) which resulted in the initial construction of a network of some of walkways, about twenty bridges, and extensive plantings including some of the
bald cypress
''Taxodium distichum'' (bald cypress, swamp cypress; french: cyprès chauve;
''cipre'' in Louisiana) is a deciduous conifer in the family Cupressaceae. It is native to the southeastern United States. Hardy and tough, this tree adapts to a wide r ...
(others are several hundred years old) whose branches stretch up to ten stories and are visible from street level.
Hugman's persistence paid off; he was named project architect. His plan would be put to the test in 1946, when another major flood threatened Downtown San Antonio, but the Olmos Dam and bypass channel minimized the area damage. Casa Rio, a landmark River Walk restaurant, became the first restaurant in the area in 1946, opening next door to Hugman's office.
Through the following decades the network has been improved and extended. The first major extension of the Riverwalk was constructed by the joint venture of two general contractors Darragh & Lyda Inc. and H. A. Lott Inc. to
Tower of the Americas
The Tower of the Americas is a observation tower-restaurant located in the Hemisfair district on the southeastern portion of Downtown San Antonio, Texas, United States. The tower was designed by San Antonio architect O'Neil Ford and was bu ...
as part of
HemisFair '68
HemisFair '68 was the official 1968 World's Fair (or International Exposition) held in San Antonio, Texas, from April 6 through October 6, 1968. Local businessman and civic leader, Jerome K. Harris Sr., coined the name HemisFair and conceived the ...
. The expansion extended the Riverwalk beyond its natural banks at the horseshoe bend to the new convention center and theater by excavating much of the block bordered by Commerce, Bowie, Market and Alamo Streets. That was also the year the
Hilton Palacio del Rio
The Hilton Palacio del Rio is a 485-room, 21-story hacienda-style hotel in San Antonio, Texas that opened in 1968. The hotel was constructed for the 1968 World's Fair, HemisFair '68, and was designed by Cerna & Garza Architects. The structure is ...
was built, the first of many downtown hotels that leverage their slice of urban "riverfront." A subsequent major expansion opened in 1988 that extended a branch from the 1968 extension to create a lagoon at the new
Rivercenter
The Shops at Rivercenter (formerly known as Rivercenter Mall) is a shopping mall located in Downtown San Antonio, Texas, United States along the city's River Walk. The anchor stores are H&M, Macy's (closing April 2021) and AMC Theatres. It als ...
Mall and the
Marriott Rivercenter
Marriott Rivercenter is a hotel located in San Antonio, Texas, USA. At a tip height of 546 feet (166 meters), the 38-floor hotel is the tallest building and second tallest structure in the city (the Tower of the Americas is taller). It is also the ...
Hotel.
In 1981 the
Hyatt Regency San Antonio
Hyatt Hotels Corporation, commonly known as Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, is an American multinational hospitality company headquartered in the Riverside Plaza area of Chicago that manages and franchises luxury and business hotels, resorts, and vacat ...
opened with a new pedestrian connector that linked Alamo Plaza to the River Walk with concrete waterfalls, waterways and indigenous landscaping. Known as the Paseo del Alamo, this river "extension" actually flows from Alamo Plaza into the San Antonio River through the atrium of the hotel. This connector not only allows the hotel to market itself as being on Alamo Plaza and on the River Walk, but it provides the city with an urban park that connects the city's two largest tourist attractions.
Many downtown buildings like the Casino Club Building have street entrances and separate river entrances one level below. This separates the automotive service grid (for delivery and emergency vehicles) from pedestrian traffic (below) through an intricate network of bridges, walkways, and old staircases. The
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Southwest Division ( ...
had their five NBA Championship victory parades/cruises along the river walk.
Growth and expansion
Expansion plans are planned for areas of the river north and south of Downtown. As chain restaurants and establishments have begun to flourish, now taking up about a third of commercial space, talk has begun at City Hall about limiting their existence on the River Walk and keeping a distinctively local flair. On May 30, 2009, the city opened the $72 million Museum Reach. The Museum Reach features local attractions such as the San Antonio Museum of Art and The Pearl Brewery, which has become one of the most popular areas for locals.
Two years later, in May 2011, the River Walk was extended by several miles to extend from Downtown to Mission Espada which is on the city's south side. This addition (named the "Mission Reach") is notable for its emphasis on ecological controls and improvements, as well as trail improvements to support both hiking and biking. The Mission Reach has paddling trails and biking trails which allow tourists to experience the UNESCO World Heritage Missions.
![San Antonio River Walk July 2017 61](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/San_Antonio_River_Walk_July_2017_61.jpg)
After years of murmuring from locals and tourists about the water's quality, talk has also begun about cleaning up the water, although the muddy bottom and silt deposits make this difficult. The muddy bottom does receive an annual cleaning during the Mud Festival.
In early 2016, for the first time in its history, the River Walk was connected with another linear urban walkway, the San Pedro Creek Greenway. The greenway joins with the River Walk at the confluence of the San Pedro Creek and the San Antonio River near Mission Concepción.
On May 25, 2017,
Esperanza Andrade
Esperanza "Hope" Andrade (born July 1, 1949) is a businesswoman from San Antonio, Texas, who is the former commissioner representing employers on the Texas Workforce Commission, an appointed position which she held from 2013 to 2015. From 2008 t ...
, a former
Texas secretary of state
The Secretary of State of Texas is one of the six members of the executive department of the State of Texas in the United States. Under the Constitution of Texas, the appointment is made by the governor of Texas, with confirmation by the Texas S ...
, and Lisa Wong, her business partner in the company Go Rio San Antonio, prevailed in a 10-1 vote from the San Antonio City Council for the $100 million contract to operate the barges on the River Walk. The only dissenter on the council was the mayoral candidate Ron Nirenberg, who faced Mayor
Ivy Taylor
Ivy Ruth Taylor (born June 17, 1970) is the president of Rust College in Holly Springs, Mississippi, and the former Mayor of San Antonio, Texas, from 2014 through 2017. The former politician and urban planner was a nonpartisan officeholder, alth ...
in a
runoff election
The two-round system (TRS), also known as runoff voting, second ballot, or ballotage, is a voting method used to elect a single candidate, where voters cast a single vote for their preferred candidate. It generally ensures a majoritarian resul ...
on June 10. In selecting Andrade and Wong, the council rejected City Manager Sheryl Sculley's recommendation to award the contract instead to the
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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-based Entertainment Cruises, the choice also of former Mayor
Phil Hardberger
Phillip Duane Hardberger (born July 27, 1934) is an American politician and lawyer who served as mayor of San Antonio, taking office in June, 2005. A Democrat, he was elected on a non-partisan ballot.
Life and career Family and early years
Hardb ...
. On receiving the contract, Andrade told Taylor and the council: "We not only know but we understand why the River Walk is indeed our crown jewel of our beautiful city. And we understand that the barge operation is the thread that weaves it all together."
In 2021 it was temporarily used as a source of water after a
winter storm crippled infrastructure across Texas.
Impact
The River Walk has inspired similar projects in other cities, such as the
Little Sugar Creek Greenway
Little Sugar Creek Greenway is a linear park and stream restoration project in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. When completed it will consist of twenty miles of trails and paved walkways running from Cordelia Park just north of uptown Charlo ...
in
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...
, the Cherry Creek Greenway in
Denver, Colorado
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
, the
Bricktown Canal
The Bricktown Canal is a canal in Bricktown, Oklahoma City, in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The waterway opened in 1999 and has become a popular tourist destination featuring many attractions. Downtown OKC Partnership and the Bricktown Association ...
in
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, and ...
, and the
Santa Lucía Riverwalk
The Santa Lucia riverwalk ( es, link=no, Paseo Santa Lucía) is an artificial river located in the Mexico, Mexican city of Monterrey, Nuevo León.
History
Construction of the river began in 1996, but for economic reasons was stopped for nine y ...
in
Monterrey, Mexico
Monterrey ( , ) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León, Mexico, and the third largest city in Mexico behind Guadalajara and Mexico City. Located at the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental, the city is anchor ...
.
See also
*
Fiesta Noche del Rio
''Fiesta'' (Spanish for "religious feast", "festival", or "party") may refer to:
Events
*Fiesta San Antonio, a 10-day event held every April in San Antonio, Texas
* St. Peter's Fiesta, a five-day festival in Gloucester, Massachusetts
* Fiestas ...
*
References
External links
San Antonio River Improvements Projects— Website run by the San Antonio River Authority covering current and future projects along the River Walk
The World Famous San Antonio River Walk— business/tourist online guide
River Walk— San Antonio Convention and Visitors Bureau
*
{{Authority control
Historic American Landscapes Survey in Texas
Pedestrian malls in the United States
Restaurant districts and streets in the United States
River Walk
Transportation in Bexar County, Texas
Works Progress Administration in Texas