What if? Part 4: Sports and Civic Identity
October 3, 2023 · Jonathan R. Card
This is the fourth part of our series about emerging opportunities in downtown San Antonio. Read the third part here.
When I planted roots in San Antonio in August of 1998, I had little understanding regarding the rookie who had just played his historic first season. The foundation for the first Spurs Dynasty was already in place, paving the way for decades of civic pride that would unite us as a community. My family and I still talk about those nights cruising down Commerce Street, horns blaring, celebrating “World” Championships with fellow Spurs diehards. While sports teams don't define a city, they undeniably enable experiences that shape collective memories and foster unity.
You can hear those horns
Beyond the outfield
I moved here to continue my architectural career. I was fortunate to have a desk beneath a framed rendering of Lake Flato's design for a new Texas Rangers ballpark. Although their proposal wasn’t selected, the drawings taught me much about place making and the possibilities of urban space, even in suburban Arlington.
Concept for Texas Ranger Ballpark by Lake|Flato Architects
The design was more than a ballpark. They proposed a baseball field within a much larger park, with foul lines extending a quarter mile into surrounding parking lots. Beyond the outfield was a series of berms that extended the ballpark further, allowing an affordable option for those without season tickets. Those extensions became tree-covered lanes that gathered and shaded pedestrians meandering to the game. Along the way guests would interact with cooling acequias and pass by retail shops and restaurants full of revelers during and after the game.
I observed these same attitudes at the Lake Flato designed SBC Center (later AT&T and now Frost). There they chose to bury premier boxes below the bleachers so that the upper bowl and cheaper seats had better sightlines. Similarly, the concept of gathering and shading guests can be experienced as one arrives at the leafy grove of the east entrance. Those lessons that valued the fans as well as the owners still resonate with me today.
An Audacious Proposal
Fast-forward to the present, Card and Company envisions the Central Business District (CBD) as a harmonized space, fortified by a fixed transportation loop and generous public parking. This vision bookends landmarks such as UTSA, VIA Centro, and the upcoming Scobey development, which would anchor the west side's cultural and academic heartbeat.
The Espee at St. Paul’s Square
With the addition of housing options, we imagine The Espee and St. Paul’s Square blossoming into a hotspot for food, live music, and vibrant nightlife. The Alamodome would still be the home of mega-events, such as concert tours, Final Fours, professional, and collegiate football.
Card and Company proposal for a downtown arena
Immediately south of the Alamodome, the Spurs could construct a modern NBA arena the size of the Staples Center, all above podium parking. Similar to Austin’s new Moody Center, this development would host UTSA athletics, concerts, and conferences.
Perhaps our most audacious proposal is the relocation of the Institute of Texan Cultures. Reimagining the aging facility five hundred feet closer to the Tower of the Americas would allow room for a minor league ballpark to house the Missions and UTSA baseball. The roof of the ITC would become a sloped lawn for kids and families to take in a game similar to the Little League World Series outfield at Williamsport.
Of course, the new park would be designed and built with a large enough footprint to accommodate a future MLB team. Ringed by apartments and new office buildings, thousands of downtown residents would have the opportunity to have a view of the game from their desk or living room, similar to San Diego’s Petco Park or Baltimore’s Camden Yard.
Card and Company proposal for a Hemisfair ballpark
Now, as Wemby's inaugural season begins, I have yet to secure tickets to a game. But dreams persist. Perhaps by the time we clinch our next Larry O’Brien trophy, I’ll find myself amidst forty thousand San Antonians, rejoicing beneath the starlit sky, with the Tower standing tall, a witness to our unified civic pride. Or, in a delightful twist, it could be my children chauffeuring me down Commerce, as we join the chorus, "Go! Spurs! Go!"
Card and Company proposal for a Hemisfair ballpark
