UTSA’s Downtown Campus, as well as downtown San Antonio itself, has seen a number of changes this past year, including the groundbreaking of San Pedro II, the relocation of the O. Henry residence and more.
Henry Residence relocated to UTSA Downtown Campus
The O. Henry Residence, home of the short story writer William Sydney Porter, whose pen name was O. Henry, has been moved to the UTSA Downtown Campus.
Veronica Salazar, UTSA chief enterprise development officer and senior vice president for business affairs said, “UTSA is proud to take stewardship of the O. Henry House.”
Salazar went on to say that “The O. Henry House provides a unique opportunity to advance historic preservation and contribute to placemaking efforts in the growing historical district developing adjacent to UTSA’s downtown presence.”
According to UTSA Today, the new location of the O. Henry Residence will be near the Casa Navarro museum which is run by the Texas Historical Commission.
For more information on the transition, see UTSA Today. To learn more about the O. Henry Residence, visit ohenryhouse.org.
The Future of The Institute of Texas Cultures
The UTSA Institute of Texas Cultures (ITC), a museum focusing on Texas history, was established in 1968, and UTSA is now on the hunt for a new site. According to UTSA Today, there are three options for ITC: “staying in the Texas Pavilion, relocating somewhere else within Hemisfair or relocating outside of Hemisfair.”
Veronica Salazar, UTSA chief enterprise development officer and senior vice president for business affairs, is also the executive lead for the evaluative phase of ITC Centennial 2068. “As we move forward, all site options are being evaluated to determine whether they might meet the needs of the ITC,” Salazar said.
Salazar went on to say that the Crockett location, a surface lot near the Alamo, is an ideal spot due to the fact that “2.5 million” people come to the Alamo every year, and the ITC would therefore benefit from its proximity to the Alamo.
For more information about the future of ITC, visit UTSA Today and KSAT.
Groundbreaking of San Pedro II
UTSA has broken ground for San Pedro II, also known as the Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Careers building. A celebration at San Pedro Creek Culture Park was held for the event to mark “the building as a new connection between UTSA and San Antonio’s tech industry.”
“San Pedro II will greatly amplify our rapidly growing data science and cybersecurity programs next door at San Pedro I — creating even more opportunities for career-engaged learning and connectivity between our academic and business communities,” said UTSA President Taylor Eighmy.
San Pedro II will consist of an immersive and hands-on learning environment and will intersect and connect classrooms and meeting spaces with San Pedro I.
For more information on the groundbreaking and San Pedro II, visit utsa.edu/today or paisano-online.com.
Downtown San Antonio looks to the future
From expanding the UTSA Downtown Campus to bringing in new business opportunities and housing developments, downtown San Antonio is on its way to becoming “a world-class city.”
With their “Downtown Tomorrow” strategy, Centro San Antonio hopes to establish more housing establishments to attract more people to live downtown, create “a network of pedestrian priority pathways,” bring more entertainment — such as cultural trail networks and art spaces — and more.
One of these changes includes UTSA’s School of Data Science. According to Veronica Salazar, UTSA chief enterprise development officer and senior vice president for Business Affairs, this will create “access to more jobs” and will bring more students to the school, which will benefit Downtown San Antonio by “feeding graduates right into the San Antonio economy.”
“We’re doing economic development and social mobility with this work,” said Salazar.
Besides housing developments for the general public, more student housing will also become available due to the expansion of UTSA’s downtown campus.
To learn more about the future of downtown San Antonio, visit News4SA. For more information about “Downtown Tomorrow,” see Centro San Antonio’s strategy at centrosanantonio.org.
