Confluence Theater (now John H. Woods, Jr. U.S. Courthouse), Marmon Mok Associates, 1968 (image credit: Kim Barker)
By
Kim Barker on behalf of the Docomomo US/MidTexMod Chapter
Changes
are planned for San Antonio’s world’s fair site, HemisFair ‘68, and they have
fans of modern architecture concerned. Intended to celebrate the city’s
250-anniversary and a confluence of cultures, HemisFair ’68 was a six-month
exposition opened by First Lady Ladybird Johnson in April 1968 . Typical of a world’s fair, various states,
nations, and corporations built new exhibition halls in the styles of the
period, some of which are exceptional examples of modern architecture.
Given San Antonio’s established preservation ethic, they also retained and
repurposed some of the nineteenth century residential buildings already on the
site before the rest of the neighborhood was sacrificed for fair
construction. HemisFair ’68 attracted 6.3 million visitors but
under-utilization since is now prompting redevelopment plans.
A
number of iconic buildings were constructed specifically for HemisFair ’68,
including but not limited to the Tower of the Americas, Institute of Texan
Cultures, and Confluence Theater. The Tower of the Americas stands 622
feet tall with a rotating top house that served as an observation deck and
restaurant. Designed by Ford, Powell & Carson, the Tower served as HemisFair
‘68’s theme building, and remains the tallest observation tower in Texas.
The Institute of Texan Cultures, designed by Caudill Rowlett Scott and Collins & Wagner to house exhibits and archives
on Texas history, is a strong example of high style architecture of its time
with its sculptural massing and constructivist minimalism. And, the Confluence
Theater by Marmon Mok Associates of San Antonio is an exceptional example of New
Formalism with tapered concrete columns around book-matched travertine on one
side of the round building, and bronze-colored glass panels on the other half.
Overall,
changes to HemisFair ’68 since the fair have been fairly minimal, with the loss
of a few mid-century buildings and the addition of fairly limited new
construction. In 1975, the federal government adaptively rehabilitated
the Confluence Theater as a U.S. Courthouse and the associated Exhibit Hall
became a training center. A new seven-story federal office building was
constructed nearby. A convention center and the Institute of Texan
Cultures continue to anchor opposite sides of the site although the growing
convention center market has demanded regular expansion of the original
building; the Institute of Texan Cultures remains unaltered.
Fair
planners envisioned that the site would continue to serve various fairs after
HemisFair ’68 closed, but it has been largely under-utilized in the ensuing
decades. Small efforts to draw visitors to the fair site, including a
large playscape and a welcoming archway, have proven unsuccessful.
Tower of the Americas, Ford, Powell & Carson, 1968 (image credit: Kim Barker)
In
2009, HemisFair Park Area Redevelopment Corporation was formed to manage and
oversee large-scale redevelopment of the fair site. Two years ago, they
developed a Framework Plan, endorsed by the City of San
Antonio, that includes demolition of all buildings constructed for HemisFair
’68 except the Tower of the Americas, reinstatement of the residential street
grid that existed prior to the fair, large-scale mixed-use development, and the
creation of additional parkland. Redevelopment plans are now moving
forward. The Confluence Theater is further threatened by demolition
by the City of San Antonio after the building transfers from federal ownership
to the City in the next few years.
The
pre-HemisFair ’68 buildings are all protected by Texas’ highest designation,
State Antiquities Landmark, which requires a permit from the Texas Historical
Commission (TX State Historic Preservation Office) before any modifications may
occur. But none of the buildings constructed for HemisFair ’68 are
protected in this way, and they do not have other state or federal designations
either (redevelopment is subject to review by the City’s Historic & Design
Review Commission as a local historic district).
Texas
Historical Commission previously determined that both the Tower of the Americas
and Institute of Texas Cultures are eligible for listing in the National
Register of Historic Places, and, at the time of writing, eligibility of
HemisFair ’68 as a historic district is under consideration. MidTexMod is
hopeful that the other architecturally significant HemisFair ’68 buildings,
including Confluence Theater will also be determined individually
eligible. We believe that determinations of National Register eligibility
are important to gathering the community support necessary to save these unique
buildings from the wrecking ball.
Institute of Texan Cultures, Caudill Rowlett Scott and Collins & Wagner, 1968
(image credit: Charles Peveto)
Local
opinion appears to be shifting towards recognizing the importance of HemisFair
’68 and the architectural significance of at least some of its buildings, aided
in part by various organizations drawing attention to the site. In 2011,
MidTexMod hosted a Tour Day event at HemisFair ’68. The San Antonio
Conservation Society, a non-profit advocacy organization, hosted a day-long
symposium on modernism in 2012, and has come out in support of retaining
significant HemisFair ’68 buildings. And, AIA San Antonio will host a design charette entitled, “A Brutal Redesign: Reimaging
HemisFair’s Modern Buildings” in mid-April. We are optimistic that such
efforts will lead HemisFair Park Area Redevelopment Corporation to revise their
redevelopment plans and retain these important buildings.
