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introduction de bajo de la tierra San Antonio, Texas (the underground) Senior Thesis Program by David Strahan Submitted to The Division of Architecture Texas Tech University INSTRUCTORS Dr. George T. C. Peng Prof. Dudley Thompson Date: September 15, 1978 About the Cover: The old and the new with the river enter twined. And now the future: the underground. CD <D cn AOI mit /^ TABLE OF CONTENTS Key Description Page Introduction A Introduction AOl Title Sheet 2 A02 Table of Contents 3 A03 List of Figures 6 A04 Acknowledgements 8 A05 Forward 9 Background 11 B Project Description 12 BOl General 13 B02 Current Projects 18 B03 CBD Proposals 23 B04 Statement of Thesis 25 C Client 26 COl Client Organization 27 C02 Previous Projects 30 C03 Outside Organizations 33 C04 The Hidden Client 34 C05 Client Goals 35 D History 39 DOl General 40 D02 Archaic Period 41 D03 Neo. Historic Period 41 "c D04 Spanish Colonization 42 o D05 Mexican Revolution and Rule 44 "c D06 The Texas Republic 45 o D07 An American Town 46 o D08 From Town to City 48 D09 Boom and Bust 49 DIO Depression War and Recovery 50 o Dll The Expressway Era 51 -9? o A02 TABLE OF CONTENTS (Cont.) E Economic 53 KOI General 54 E02 History of Military 55 E03 Military and Civilian Personnel 57 E04 Employment Projections 60 E05 Projected Industry 61 E06 Industrial Parks 63 F Social 65 FOl Population 66 F02 Socio Economic and Density 80 F03 Census 82 G Urban Life 84 GOl The Human Element 85 G02 Man in the Urban Environment 87 G03 Heirachy of Urban Spaces 89 Program 91 H Scope 92 HOI Degrees of Concern 93 H02 General 94 H03 Intermediate 95 H04 Specific 96 J Site 97 JOI Location 98 J02 External Influences 104 J03 Site Analysis 110 J04 Downtown Activities 129 J05 Proposed Development 135 J06 Transit Systems 140 J07 Zoning 142 J08 Building Codes 144 J09 Climate 147 A02 TABLE OF CONTENTS (Cont.) K Project Criteria 156 KOI Circulation 157 K02 Security 158 K03 Service 159 K04 Sensory 160 K05 Lighting 161 K06 Surfaces 162 L Requirements LOl Reauirements that Affect Planningl64 L02 Commercial Space 168 L03 Public Space 169 L04 River Corridor Study 170 M Precepts 171 MOl Mall 172 MO 2 Commercial 174 M03 Public Space 175 NOl Goals 176 P Implementation 179 POl Work Program Flow Chart 180 P02 Funding 181 R Conclusions 183 ROl Growth and Change 184 S Bibliography 185 SOI Books 186 S02 Studies 187 Appendix River Corridor Study Riverwalk Policy Regional 85 y J^OZ ( TABLE OF CONTENTS (Cont.) Addendum 189 Documentation 192 Introduction 193 Site 193 Utilities 19^ Accessibility 19^ Design Concepts 19^ Design Solution 195 Materials and Furnishings 202 Jury Comments 2O3 Personal Comments 208 Appendix River Corridor Study Riverwalk Policy Regional 85 r BACKGROUND LIST OF FIGURES No. Description Page 01 Central City Dist. 14 02 Leverage Areas 16 03 Development Generators 17 04 Current Projects 22 05 Supper Blocks 24 06 Organizational Chart 29 07 Previous Charts 32 08 Archaic Period 41 09 Neo Historic Period 41 10 Spanish Colonization 42 11 Mexican Revolution and Rule 44 12 The Texas Republic 44 13 An American Town 46 14 From Town to City 48 15 Boom and Bust 49 16 Depression War and Recovery 50 17 The Expressway Era 52 18 Military Districts 58-59 19 Economic Development Area 64 20 Bexar County Tract Map 83 Program if) 21 Degrees of Concern 97 22 Texas 99 23 San Antonio 99 24 Central City District 100 25 Site Location 101 26 Legal Description 102 27 Existing Expressways 105 28 Railroads 106 29 Noise Exposure 107 30 Flood Prone Areas 108 in A03 r 31 Edwards Acquiffier 109 32 Water 111 33 Sewer 112 34 Gas 113 35 Electric 114 36 Traffic Volumes 115 37 Traffic Flow 116 38 Traffic Control 117 39 Lighting 118 40 Pedestrian Volumes (street level) 119 41 Pedestrian Volumes (river level) 120 42 Pedestrian Time Distance 121 43 Vistas Blockage 122 44 Unpleasant Areas 123 45 Odor Areas 124 46 Noise Areas 125 47 Landscape Areas 126 48 Land Use 127 49 Figure Ground 128 50 River Bend Activity 131 51 Points of Interest 132 52 Significant Structure 133 53 Architecture & Historical 134 Significant Structures 54 CBD Street Lighting 136 55 Proposed Inner Loop 136 56 Proposed Development 137 57 Proposed Hotels and Motels 138 58 Market Axis 139 59 Existing transit 140 60 El Centro 141 A03 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ^ A special thanks to the following people for their help and assistance in the evolution and completion of this program: Daryl Engel - Department of Planning City of San Antonio Gary Jackson - Associate Planner Sara Jane Warren - Department of Planning CO CD e a> 5 o o o J A04 •^ FORWARD The city of San Antonio is a truly unique metropolis. The blending of cultures history, folk lore and people within the city have created a vibrant downtown, continuously admired; active, rich with life. The San Antonio river, lazily winding through the very heart of the downtown area, compliments the city by offering a peaceful world of its own. Composed of gift shops, resturants, art galleries, and other businesses which line its banks, the river area becomes a beautiful landscaped world; serenly oblivious to the hustle-bustle world occuring a mere 30 ft. above it. Plainly evident throughout the city is the Spanish heritage found in its people, history, and architecture. This is expressed best through the five missions located along or near the San Antonio a river. The most photographed and best known of o the five missions, the Alamo, is located in the V V. A05 I 10 heart of the downtown area. As the shrine of Texas independence, the Alamo is a major influence on the character of San Antonio's downtown. Throughout the years the city of San Antonio has concerned itself with the redevelopment of the downtown. Through past studies and proposals, the city evolved the concept of a mall and subterrianian concourse for the downtown area. This thesis carries the concept one step further, that being the transition from proposal and planning stage to the urban design stage. A05 ^ 11 background 12 o (O I I -8 I I I D J J J J J J J 'I 13 GENERAL Although the city of San Antonio is rich in charm, tradition and cultural heritage it is far from content with present conditions. The down town is beginning to decline commercially (a common scene in many cities). The comparatively inexpensive land prices in other sections of the city, the demand for convenience in the sprawling suburban areas, the relative ease of transportation in the surburban areas, these and related subfactors are contributing to formulate a commercial "demise" for downtown San Antonio, in spite of the many pluses the downtown has to offer. The amount of vacant office and commercial space in the downtown or Central Business District (CBD) is dangerously high and continues to rise in volume (See Figure 01) o San Antonio is all too familiar with these c problems and has done much work to try to solve them. In the early 1970's, the city derived many "project V y BO JhXASTECHLieRAPV j._ 14 / ^\^ / \ w :r - P pq B L :^ ^VcE/liaAL CITY FRAI^^E^S •\ .-^i :^ 'I •" * ""'Lai \ - 'V: V, ^' iiiFidtjife,^! BOl a. a^ -^S^ 15 areas" in San Antonio's downtown and set out to achieve these projects, each with a certain time span. A large portion of these projects have already been completed and rated. (See Figure 02) (See Figure 03) y^BOl 16 : I fA \\ \:. 'i/'/ r LIVERAGE' ^iU MEX(CAN ^MAflKeT -,\- 2. FEDCRAL-STiVIE .OFFICE BUILDINGS fj^' M Al?il -. SOLED AO STREET ' -^ .J'rf. MARTIN-J»ECAN 'STREETV -{r >''''\ * \ ._5.\RIVER,-NEW TOWW . >^^^ ^ .; / JL 6. HOUSTON STREEr^«^^ ^ , fr;^] 7. JOORTHV STREET. V/^ ^^^ M-.i:i^;, r:^] BOl •^ 17 ^Xr. • . « ' Til ^-m ^^ '—''——^ ! CJUV14 :rr._j: RO'rx-' '—-^ ii { ^-1 r ; 7 ^^^S^lli .-^;^K/ LEVERAGE AREAS' 1 PUBLIC MARKET | ^ 2 HEMISFAIR PLAZA r!~Ji^ •••• // li " ••';'-—-Siir- 3 MAIN-SOLADAD ST. 4 MARTIN ST. f '5. UPPER RIVER /•'/' / s-// "^s^^/ / ^-^^-^r //~^- 6. HOUSTON ST.-^^^- / . '^-WC^^/ >v€ / 7. FOURTH ST.V^W-^^-^#?/)0^ 8. BOWIE ^^^\^-.;>,.Ml.r>r^-/\ 9 ROSA VERDE ^^ 10 RIVER SOUTH ^^ v^^ 11 HISTORIC DISTRICT ^<^ 12 WHEATLEY LEGEND • COMPLETE OR UNDER CONSTRUCTION D IN PLANNING STAGE . .Figure — - CENTRAL CITY DIST. BOUNDRY BOl 18 CURRENT PROJECTS Many interest groups, downtown businessmens, and local agencies are working together with San Antonio Planning Dept. to determine and identify the problem areas, as well as suggest and propose viable answers to these problems. Projects surrounding the site are currently under or near construction, the resiliant of such planning. Some of these projects include: Completed; Refer to Figure 04 1. Alamo Plaza (public commitment) Complete redevelopment of the public tn space as a bicentennial project. t3 2. Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Hall (D (public commitment) - Expansion of o 2 GL Exhibit/Banquet Hall Facilities. 3. Landmark - Private complete "c (D rehabilitation of 13 story building 3 into luxury office space. o 1. The Alamo Plaza Project, 1973, p.e. 2. The Alamo Plaza Project Area, 1976, p.3, 3. Ibid p.3. B02 L ^a^to.. 19 Approved or Underway: 4. Historic Walkway (public) A pedestrian system running east/ west from Alamo Plaza to market Square intersecting with Alamo River Pedestrian Linkage at riverwalk will provide handicap/service elevators on each side of river. 5. Alamo Plaza Transit Mall (San Antonio Transit Mall) a contra-flow bus mall separated from vehicular movement and parking by a landscaped median.