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Director, Office of Historic Preservation
Stay in Touch
Contact Us
E-Mail:
Office of Historic Preservation
Phone: (210) 215-9274
Historic Preservation Links
Past Preservation Month Activities in 2012 and 2011
National Preservation Month May 2012 - How we Discovered San Antonio's Hidden Gems
The Office of Historic Preservation
was proud to
promote National Historic Preservation Month in May 2012. This
year's theme was "Discover America's Hidden Gems." Communities
across the United States hosted programs and events promoting
historic places.
San Antonio is filled with historic treasures, so thank you to everyone who helped us "Discover San Antonio's Hidden Gems." Together with local partners, we presented a full month of events to promote history and preservation in our city. Check out all of our events below.
Preservation Month 2012 Sponsors:
State of Preservation Announcement and Reception - Thursday, May 3rd
We
celebrated the launch of National Preservation Month 2012
with the
State of Preservation Announcement and Reception on Thursday, May
3rd in the beautiful courtyard of the Spanish Governor's Palace.
City leaders and the State Historic Preservation Officer
highlighted the recent accomplishments in historic preservation.
The occasion initiated a full month of educational and fun-filled events to promote the "Power of Preservation" in San Antonio. Thanks for helping to discover San Antonio's hidden gems and celebrate our historic city!
Mid-Century Modern: It's About Time - Friday, May 4th
As
part of National Preservation Month, the San Antonio Conservation Society sponsored a half-day seminar--with a bus/walking tour that same
morning--on "Mid-Century Modern: It’s About Time" on Friday,
May 4th in the AIA – San Antonio Center for Architecture, 200 East
Grayson Street, in the Pearl Full Goods Building. Featuring panels of local
and regional experts, the seminar focused on mid-century modern
architecture and design from the 1930s to 1970 and its importance in
Speakers included Greg Smith, of the Texas Historical Commission; Anna Mod, historic preservation specialist with LFC, Inc.; Rebecca Schenker, AIA, founding principal of Weave Architecture; Stephen Fox, architectural historian and adjunct lecturer in architecture at Rice University and the University of Houston; Kathryn O'Rourke, professor of art and art history at Trinity University; and Jenni Minner, doctoral student in Community and Regional Planning at the University of Texas at Austin and president of MidTexMod.
Texas Independence Guided Walking & Running Tour - Saturday, May 5th
Participants
joined us for
the Go! Historic SA guided running and walking tour of sites associated with
Texas Independence
The tour included a stop at
We will offer a variety of other walking/running guided tours throughout the year, so check out the link below for our 2012 schedule.
Upcoming Guided Walking/Running Tours - 2012 Schedule
Paseo por el Westside - Sunday, May 6th
The third annual Paseo por el Westside
was held on
Sunday, May 6th at the Rinconcito de Esperanza at 816
S. Colorado (at Guadalupe Street). The Paseo featured
neighborhood walking tours,
presentations, kids activities, food,
music, teatro, and more!
The day included a performance by Poet Laureate, Carmen Tafolla.
Music was provided by Jacinto Guevara; Rita Vidaurri, Beatris Llamas and
Perla Tapatia of Las Tesoros del Westside; and Eva Ybarra y su Conjunto.
The event was sponsored by the Office of Historic Preservation (OHP),
Esperanza Peace and Justice Center, Westside Historic Preservation Alliance,
and others.
The Paseo is part of the ongoing
Cultural Resource Survey initiative of the City’s
historic Westside. Help generate interest in the
preservation of the cultural and architectural heritage of
Amazing Preservation Race for Kids - Saturday, May 19th
The
Amazing Preservation Race for Kids, held on Saturday, May 19 in the
King William Historic District, was a great success! This scavenger hunt for
elementary-aged kids was a morning of fun activities, while participants
learned about history, architecture, and preservation. With adult
chaperones, kids used clues to solve riddles as they searched for destinations
throughout the King William neighborhood.
At each destination, an activity was required in order to get the next clue.
Activities included such "old-fashioned" games as jumping rope, a clothes
pin drop, croquet, and ball tossing. Food, games, and prizes were
provided at the finish line at the historic Steves Homestead.
Green Lifestyles in Historic Neighborhoods Forum - Sunday, May 20th
Shanon Peterson of the Office of Historic Preservation, green builder Juan
Fernandez, and Lavaca homeowner and remodeler Scott Martin spoke at the
Green Lifestyles in Historic Neighborhoods Forum on May 20th. The
forum presenters provided information about retrofitting historic homes and building inner-city
communities that are environmentally and culturally sustainable.
Elaine Wolff of
plazadearmastx.com was the moderater.
Sponsored by Build
Check out the video of the event!
Amazing Preservation Race - Friday, June 8th
Due to weather, the Amazing Preservation Race was rescheduled for Friday, June 8th at 5:30 pm. This downtown architectural scavenger hunt was complete with costumed teams, trivia questions, and urban challenges at six historic locations within the city. The race started and finished at La Villita, and a fun-filled after party was enjoyed by all!
This Place Matters Photo Contest
Let us know the historic places that matter to you!
Preservation Month may be over, but we'll still accept photos of places that
matter! Download a copy of the "This
Place Matters" sign below and snap a photo of you holding the sign in front
of a place that is significant to you. Submit your photos to the
Office of Historic Preservation at
OHP@sanantonio.gov.
National Preservation Month 2011 - See some of the year's events!
The Office of Historic Preservation
once again participated in National Preservation Month in May 2011.
Across the
Check out all of our Preservation Month activities and see snapshots of our events at the links below. Thank you to everyone who participated and a very big thank you to our Preservation Month Sponsors for making it all possible!
Preservation Month Activities Preservation Month Photos Preservation Month Sponsors
State of Preservation Announcement
We kicked off Preservation Month with a
State of
Running tours and new walking tours explored central
Guided Running and Walking Tours
The Office of Historic Preservation
launched our 2011 Go! Historic SA Guided Running and Walking
As part of Preservation Month, the
OHP offered two guided tours in May.
The Downtown Tour was held on Mother’s Day, May
8th, at 8:00 a.m. The tour began at the City Marina, located at 202 E.
Nueva, and included stops at the 
On Thursday, May 26th, at 6:00 p.m.
guides led runners and walkers on a
Additional running/walking tours will be offered throughout the year - see schedule of upcoming tours below.
Schedule of Upcoming Running/Walking Tours
Texas Star Trail Downtown Walking Tour Brochure
The San Antonio Conservation Society
has unveiled the
newly revised brochure for the self-guided Texas Star Trail
Downtown Walking Tour of
Texas
Historic sites are identified with a Texas Star medallion in the sidewalk in front of each structure. Smaller medallion markers in the sidewalk connect the sites along the 2.6 mile length. The revised Texas Star Trail brochure is available at the San Antonio Conservation Society’s headquarters at 107 King William Street, at the San Antonio Visitor Center at 317 Alamo Plaza, the Office of Historic Preservation, and at the link below. Take a tour through downtown on the Texas Star Trail to discover our city's rich history!
Texas Star Trail Downtown Walking Tour
Paseo por el Westside - May 7th
We
continued our Westside Cultural Resource Survey Initiative with the
Paseo por el Westside event on Saturday, May 7th. The
Office of Historic Preservation partnered with the Esperanza Peace
and Justice Center,
the Westside Historic Preservation Group,
the Westside
Development Corporation (WDC), the San Antonio Conservation Society,
and the Avenida Guadalupe for a fun-filled day highlighting San
Antonio's historic Westside. The event included neighborhood
walking tours, architectural survey training, Westside presentations, food,
music, teatro, and more!
The Westside Cultural Resource Survey initiative is an ongoing project. Stay tuned for upcoming events. If you are interested in participating in a Westside survey, please contact Elizabeth Porterfield at elizabeth.porterfield@sanantonio.gov or 207-3327 or the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center at 228-0201.
Amazing Preservation Race - May 13th
The
Amazing Preservation in downtown San Antonio was a huge success with 27
teams participating! Teams competed in an
architectural scavenger hunt,
complete with
trivia
questions
and
urban challenges.
An
awesome after-party
was held at Mi Tierra!
Each team
received a packet of information,
including a list of various downtown locations and descriptions, visual
clues, and a set of riddles that
were used to find
each destination. Once
each
destination
was
reached, teams
had to
perform an activity to
get the next clue. Between locations, teams
were responsible for
performing an urban challenge.
The winning team was ArchiTreks with a time of 55 minutes and 20 seconds.
They each won a 2-night stay at the
W
Amazing Preservation Race for Kids - May 21st
The
second annual Amazing Preservation Race for Kids was a big success, despite
the early morning rain! Over 60 kids, with
adult chaperones, joined
in
for a morning of fun activities, food, and prizes while learning about
history, architecture, and preservation!
Using clues to solve riddles,
participants searched for destinations in the
King William Historic District. At each destination
kids
completed a physical challenge such as jumping rope
or croquet in order to get their
next clue.
The
winning team received
passes to Sea World. The second place team won passes to Fiesta Texas, and
the third place team received passes to Natural Bridge Caverns. Other
prizes included
passes to the San Antonio
Museum of Art,
the San Antonio
Botanical Gardens, the Witte Museum, and the Magik Theater, as well as
croquet sets, puzzles, and more!
Food,
games,
and crafts for
Check out the slideshows below for photos of the event!
Amazing Preservation Race for Kids - Slideshow from Kens 5 News
Amazing Race Slideshow - Office of Historic Preservation