SAN ANTONIO — After decades of delays and false starts, a legend is being brought back to life in south San Antonio. On Tuesday, there will be a grand opening celebration for Hot Wells Park, a brand new Bexar County historic site.
Historians say in 1892 a crew drilling for water tapped into hot sulfur springs. Pressure from the prolific aquifer allowed the water to bubble out of the earth on its own.
Promoters at the time promised the strong-smelling springs had medicinal powers and people came from everywhere to “take the waters.” Now the site is seeing a rebirth, not for magical medicine, but as a place where the south side community will be able to celebrate history and the future.
Dr. Yvonne Katz is the President of the Hot Wells Conservancy. "It will conjure up and bring back wonderful, wonderful memories!" Katz said.
The property, which was once a world-class spa and destination for Hollywood celebrities, was ravaged by time and a number of catastrophic fires. For years, the remains of the once opulent resort remained hidden behind dense vegetation on the banks of the San Antonio River off South Presa Street.
Katz, whose career at the Harlandale ISD spanned several decades, said she has been hoping this day would come for years. “I used to drive by this area all the time and I'd go, 'oh my gosh, why doesn't somebody do something to create a beautiful place for people to be in this gorgeous ruin?' Well, here we are over 30 years later, and here I am helping to create it and I'm so excited for our conservancy, for the county, for all of the people of Bexar and other counties,” Katz said.
Preservationists are thrilled to see this magical place, where people swam in hot sulfur water, restored.
Katz said her group plans programs for education, recreation, restoration and preservation, saying a huge community garden and cooking facility will be a centerpiece of the project. Katz said like many, County Judge Nelson Wolff visited the area as a child.
“He remembers there was the ladies' pool, the gents' pool and the family and infirm pool in between,” Katz said.
Bexar County took control of four acres of territory four years ago. Then Texas Parks and Wildlife also kicked in money for restoration. Now that the ruins are stable, the Hot Wells Conservancy will help develop new programs next to Mission San Jose.
Katz said “People will be coming to our World Heritage site missions. They'll send people here. We'll send people there. It's just absolutely going to be wonderful. We are so excited!”
Next to the park, on private land, contractors are drilling a new well. Kyle Courtney of C&C Groundwater Services said his firm was involved in the effort to close the original well on the property, so he is glad to be involved in the effort to restore water flow to the area.
“We're the water people," Courtney said. "We have a sentimental part in this and we just kind of wanted to bring it back because, while we were here working, people would stop by all the time, wondering what was happening with the old well.”
Courtney said bringing history to life is engaging.
“A lot of people know about it from the old days. Very few people know about it today. We just wanted to be a part of history and that's why we're here,” Courtney said.
“The top of the Edwards is 1,800 feet,” said Wade Steele of Underground Water Resources / Unison Drilling, based in Devine.
Steele said once his firm is able to reach the aquifer, water should once again bubble to the surface without having to be pumped.
County officials are expecting a big crowd Tuesday morning at 10 a.m. Parking on site is limited so guests will be directed to Mission County Park, across the river, where there is plenty of free parking. Guests will be encouraged to walk a short distance on the San Antonio River trail to reach the free opening ceremonies.
A fundraising gala is scheduled for October and Katz said anyone who wants to learn more about the new opportunities at the park is welcome to visit the conservancy’s website.