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San Antonio Convention Center

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1968, Noonan and Krocker and Phelps, Simmons and Associates; 2001 expansion, Thompson, Ventulett, Stainback and Associates, and Kell Muñoz Wigodsky. Market and S. Alamo sts.

Construction on this massive 1.3-million-square-foot complex began in 1968 for Hemis-Fair'68. Renamed in honor of the late U.S. congressman Henry B. González, the convention center originally included a 2,500-seat theater and a domed arena. The arena was demolished during the 2001 expansion project, which gave greater exposure to the theater's facade. The theater was named in honor of former mayor Lila Cockrell. Across the top of the theater's facade is a 100 × 22–foot mosaic mural by famed Mexican architect-muralist Juan O'Gorman, The Confluence of Civilizations in the Americas, the formal theme of Hemis-Fair'68. This is O'Gorman's only American project. The expansion of the complex also expanded the Riverwalk into the center, giving conventioneers more outdoor space to enjoy.

Writing Credits

Author: 
Gerald Moorhead et al.
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Data

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Citation

Gerald Moorhead et al., "San Antonio Convention Center", [San Antonio, Texas], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/TX-01-SA64.

Print Source

Cover: Buildings of Texas

Buildings of Texas: Central, South, and Gulf Coast, Gerald Moorhead and contributors. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2013, 161-162.

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