SAN ANTONIO — The Texas General Land Office (GLO) and City of San Antonio announced Thursday they have reached a deal with the owner of Moses Rose's Hideout, ending a months-long eminent domain battle and removing an obstacle for an multimillion-dollar Alamo grounds makeover to go forward.
The owner of the downtown bar had rejected numerous offers, prompting eminent domain court filings and a continuous back-and-forth over how much the Houston Street property was worth. San Antonio City Council in January approved the use of eminent domain to seize the property, escalating the fight while Moses Rose's stood its ground.
Now construction on the Alamo Visitor Center and Museum can move forward.
The Alamo Trust said in a release the bar has agreed to vacate the premises by August 15 after the property it sits on was purchased, though an amount was not disclosed. The owner of Moses Rose's previously turned down an offer of $5.26 million before the eminent domain process began.
“This agreement paves the way for the future of the historic Alamo. Every year, hundreds of thousands of people visit the Alamo to learn more about the deep-rooted history and culture of San Antonio,” Mayor Ron Nirenberg said in a statement. “In just a few years, our visitors will enjoy a state-of-the-art Alamo Visitor Center and Museum. We invite the world to learn why San Antonio’s World Heritage designation includes the historic Alamo.”
Details of the agreement were not released, but the owners' attorney released a statement on their behalf, saying they expect to be recognized via "museum labels" if new artifacts are "discovered under our building that are worthy to display anywhere."
"It is quite possible that no artifacts will be discovered under our building," the statement goes on to read. "But this concession was the respect we needed to demonstrate and declare that any transaction made on Alamo soil must recognize the private property rights for which the Alamo Defenders fought and died almost 200 years ago."