The Main Plaza is expecting a $15 million renovation funded by the City of San Antonio and the Main Plaza Conservancy. Focused on following the Americans with Disabilities Act, which details requirements for buildings and facilities to be physically accessible to people with disabilities, the Main Plaza Improvement Project will address uneven surfacing, pedestrian circulation and lighting systems. Additionally, the project will include the installation of a pavilion and expanded food services.
The funding for the renovations and the redesign of the Main Plaza results from years of investment. To start, Phase 1 was completed in April 2023 using $4.5 million approved by the City Council to remove the plaza’s five fountains and stabilize the groundwork. To follow the renovation plan by the Main Plaza Conservancy, the City Council approved an additional $5.5 million as part of the 2023-2024 Fiscal Year Adopted Budget. The Main Plaza Conservancy pledged a $5 million donation to the project last year to complete funding for the plan’s estimated cost.
Since acquiring the budget, a public-input meeting was held at the Central Library on Feb. 23. The meeting presented slides to the public with conceptual plans, goals, palettes and rendered before-and-after images.
The available renderings provide a detailed view of the anticipated changes. In an interview with The Paisano, Director of the UT San Antonio School of Architecture + Planning Michelangelo Sabatino Ph.D., shared his thoughts on what stands out most in the renderings.
“The proposed feature of a continuous bench that weaves through the site is particularly inspired because it allows for people to rest, and it also avoids the sort of clutter of just filling the space with individual chairs and benches,” Sabatino said. “This brings a little more discipline and aesthetic cohesion to that plan.”
The Main Plaza is located less than a mile from the SA+P building and is within walking distance of the Riverwalk. One of the design firms participating in the renovation — Ford, Powell & Carson — also designed the UT San Antonio Main Campus.
Sabatino connected the firm’s focus on lively, active places to the proximity between the plaza and college.
“Wouldn’t it be fun to see our students hanging out at Main Plaza more?” Sabatino proposed. “And if our students could go there for lunch as well as tourists along the Riverwalk, wouldn’t we have kind of a dynamic situation going on there?
“I also, frankly, like the idea of a potential pavilion or stage. I think that’s important in terms of how you activate the space in a way that people feel welcome, but also performers or speakers have an anchor with which to promote activity.”
Community members present at the input meeting responded to, “Is there anything else you’d like the design team to consider?” with a board full of sticky notes. Respondents wrote for the team to consider adding details such as bike racks, different seating heights and on-site water access. “I would say, potentially adding more trees to the existing trees in order to provide additional shade from the San Antonio heat,” Sabatino suggested when asked the same question.
Additional feedback or questions about the project can be submitted to the Main Plaza Improvement Project’s website at publicinput.com/m64674. The project will be presented to the Historic and Design Review Commission in March. The expected construction is set for summer 2027 to summer 2028.
