SAN ANTONIO — The northwest corner of Hemisfair on East Market and South Alamo, near the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, is going to look a lot different in a few years. It's future is being described as a place to live, work, play and celebrate.
Candice Castillo visits Hemisfair with her children and grandchildren every few weeks.
“They love it, and I love it,” she said. "It’s just something I can do. I can sit back, relax, know that they’re safe and let them have fun.”
More fun is soon to come. Dirt, dust and debris on the lot will transform into residences, restaurants and retail to attract more people to the park.
“The new development is going to offer a unique experience downtown,” said Meredith Balzen, director of communications for Hemisfair. “It’s really going to put San Antonio on the map as a world-class place to want to come visit, but it’s also for locals."
Two buildings will fill the now empty space. One will be 29 stories tall and feature 360 apartments with a seven-level parking garage. The other will be smaller, featuring three stories of shops.
“It’s going to offer a world-class view of San Antonio,” Balzen said. “It’s going to give us locals and visitors a unique experience along the River Walk that they will never have had before.”
Renderings of new Hemisfair area
Castillo said she plans to come to the park even more once construction is done.
“It brings the whole city together,” she said. “It just brings us together as one. It unifies us. It gives us somewhere to enjoy. It’s so fun to enjoy it and talk to everyone and feel some closeness together because we haven’t had it in such a long time."
She looks forward to the extra activities the development will bring to her family and the city.
The buildings will be completed by April 2025, in time for the city hosting the NCAA Final Four.