And here we...... go!
https://www.expressnews.com/business...r-18681873.php
The Spurs’ search for a downtown location for a new arena took a step forward Thursday when the University of Texas Board of Regents conditionally approved a plan to lease or sell the Institute of Texan Cultures property to the city of San Antonio.
The board didn’t discuss the move in public, but the agenda for its meeting said the transaction was for a “potential downtown revitalization project” at the roughly 13.5-acre site at 801 E. César E. Chávez Blvd. The project is likely a Spurs arena, which the city has been working quietly since last year to relocate from its longtime East Side arena.
Such a move would bring the team back to Hemisfair, its home for its first 20 seasons from 1973 to 1993, and be the capstone of the city’s yearslong transformation of the site of the 1968 World’s Fair into a gathering place with lush public parks, restaurants, apartments, a hotel and stores. It would also be part of an effort to reinvigorate the downtown area, which has struggled in the wake of the pandemic.
It would mean a new location for the Institute of Texan Cultures, too. The University of Texas at San Antonio, which owns the museum, has been considering moving it to a new building near the Alamo and selling or leasing its current location.
The Board of Regents unanimously approved granting the city the exclusive option to buy or lease the property after discussing the item in executive session — which is not open to the public. UTSA spokesperson Joe Izbrand declined to address questions about the nature of the revitalization project and the rent or sale price.
“This action advances our due diligence process as we continue to evaluate feasible scenarios for the future of the ITC museum,” he said. “It gives us the flexibility to engage in conversations with the city of San Antonio without delay, given the UT System Board of Regents does not meet again until May.”
Last fall, UTSA entered into a memorandum of understanding with Crockett Hotel owner 1859 Historic Hotels Ltd. and the city to evaluate the feasibility of constructing an 80,000-square-foot building for the museum on a parking lot behind the hotel.
The location near the Alamo, River Walk and the future Alamo Visitor Center and Museum is expected to generate far more foot traffic for the struggling museum, which has faced declining attendance. University leaders have said that’s the most cost-effective option for the institute and gives them flexibility for uses of the current location.
While relocation of the institute is considered the most favorable option, UTSA leaders have said they are also considering other scenarios, such as moving the museum to another location at Hemisfair, moving it to properties the university owns elsewhere downtown, or renovating its original 1968 facility.
The 180,000-square-foot building the institute occupies was originally known as the Texas Pavilion and constructed to showcase Texas’ diverse history and cultures during the fair. The institute has been neglected in the years since, with some describing its exhibits as dated and shopworn, the building’s infrastructure deteriorating and a location that is difficult to access from other downtown attractions.
University leaders have said the process of studying archaeological and soil conditions at the Alamo site and the costs of leasing or buying the land and building a new facility for the museum is expected to wrap up this spring.
But a new option for the institute’s property arose last year: as a location for a new arena for the Spurs. The team currently plays at the Frost Bank Center on the East Side. The circa-2002 arena is owned by Bexar County and, according to many, no longer stacks up against rivals’ facilities.
The San Antonio Missions baseball team, which was purchased by a group of local owners in 2022, also is eyeing relocating from the West Side to the center city. The group is under pressure from Major League Baseball to make improvements to Wolff Stadium to bring it in line with new league standards or build a new facility.
According to sources familiar with the matter, a city official discouraged the Missions’ owners last year from pursuing the institute site as a location for a new ballpark, likely because City Hall was contemplating it as a new home for the Spurs.
Some preservationists are loathe to see the Texas Pavilion building demolished.
The Conservation Society of San Antonio nominated the building for placement on the National Register last year, arguing it’s worthy because of its connection to the World’s Fair and its brutalist architecture. UTSA opposed the nomination.
In January, the Texas Historical Commission’s State Review Board deemed the building eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. But under federal law, if an owner objects to a building being placed on the National Register, it is not listed, and listing on the Register also would not protect it from being razed, Conservation Society leaders have said.
The Spurs, the city and Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai did not immediately respond to inquiries Thursday morning.
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