Details in Alamo plan show museum with rooftop garden, canals, closed streets

This artist's rendering shows the appearance of Alamo Plaza under a master plan that would include an interpretation of the south wall and historic main gate of the mission and 1836 battle compound, made of structural glass, as it would appear at night. Other features include a 135,000-square-foot museum; historic footings of the historic walls displayed under structural glass; and interpretation of an acequia, or water canal, on the west end of the plaza. less This artist's rendering shows the appearance of Alamo Plaza under a master plan that would include an interpretation of the south wall and historic main gate of the mission and 1836 battle compound, made of ... more Photo: Courtesy Illustration Photo: Courtesy Illustration Image 1 of / 87 Caption Close Details in Alamo plan show museum with rooftop garden, canals, closed streets 1 / 87 Back to Gallery

New artist renderings and a five-minute video reveal how city and state officials and philanthropists hope to return the Alamo to its full potential as a place of reverence, where visitors will linger and learn of the mission and 1836 siege and battle.

The Alamo Plaza master plan includes closure of portions of Alamo and Crockett streets to traffic; conversion of three buildings on the west side of Alamo Plaza to a modern, four-story museum with a rooftop garden and restaurant; indoor and outdoor displays of footings of the original mission-era walls; and use of durable structural glass to interpret the height of those outer walls.

Narration of the video, shown for the first time to the public at a meeting billed as "the big reveal" Tuesday night, heralds a vision to create a "sense of place and enclosure with transparent structural glass walls."

The plan also includes dismantling, repair and relocation of the 1930s Alamo Cenotaph; replication of two 1800s acequias, or water canals; trees, native landscaping, benches and tables to create visitor-friendly areas to dine or relax on the site's perimeter; and a pedestrian promenade connecting the site's historic main gate area as the main entry point leading into the plaza from the south.

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The city also has committed $17 million, and put another $21 million for pedestrian and aesthetic upgrades on a May 6 bond issue.

The Land Office, after securing $25 million for the master plan and resulting projects in 2015, has requested $75 million from the Legislature this year for the Alamo. The endowment plans to seek other financial support through private investment and philanthropy.

George Skarmeas, the lead Alamo master planner from Philadelphia, said the plan was developed after input from more than 100 community meetings. The team, working under the direction of a six-member master plan management committee with members from the city, Land Office and endowment, sought to "be responsive" to all of the input, he said.

The plan, presented at a public meeting Tuesday night, will be shown at a work session Wednesday of the City Council, which is expected to vote on conceptual approval in May. The public will have another chance Tuesday, at 6 p.m. in Room 225 of the Convention Center, to see the presentation and ask questions or offer ideas or comments.

Ultimately, the planning group hopes to seek the best contractors in archaeology, construction, museum exhibition and other specialties that the design encompasses.

"We're hoping to assemble the best in every field from around the world, literally, to make it happen," Skarmeas told the Express-News Editorial Board on Tuesday.

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Use of structural glass, similar to material used to create the Apple Store Cube, unveiled in New York City in 2006, would allow visitors to see the entire site without obstructing views or creating confusion about its period of construction, officials said.

Relocation of the Cenotaph, the 60-foot-tall granite work titled "Spirit of Sacrifice," by Pompeo Coppini, has been a source of concern among Alamo enthusiasts since the design team announced its key concepts in November. But officials said the move is needed to open up the plaza for interpretation, and would place the work about two blocks south, along Market Street, near the site of one of the funeral pyres where Alamo defenders' bodies were burned.

Under the plan, the Cenotaph would undergo a laser scan of its interior; be disassembled stone-by-stone and sent to a conservation lab for repair; then attached to a new stainless steel armature in its new location.

"We have to take it apart anyway. It needs work," Skarmeas said.

City Manager Sheryl Sculley, who sits on the six-member management committee, said she encourages a "continuing conversation" about interpreting the full history of the site, based on current knowledge, and keeping visitors there for longer periods.

"As you can imagine, change is difficult for some people," Sculley said. "But I think people are learning, understanding and appreciating the depth of the work that's been done to date."

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Developer Gene Powell, a member of the endowment board and chairman of the management panel, said the city is working with businesses in the plaza to relocate some of them to a new entertainment district, to help keep visitors downtown once the plan's features are in place.

"The merchants will have opportunities to do many more things than what they're doing today," he said.

The plan also seeks to lower the ground in the plaza by about 18 inches to its historic level, providing an even walking surface and exposure of architecture at the base of the church and Long Barrack that has been covered up for decades.

Although the museum would charge admission, entry to the historic Alamo structure would remain free. Visitors would be asked to get a timed ticket, to help regulate the flow of visitors and prevent lines from forming outside the iconic church.

shuddleston@express-news.net

