Is it true that George P. Bush wants to reimagine the Alamo and has a plan to do it?

I don't know if it is his plan but there is a plan. A plexiglass wall at the original boundry was part of it.

I wouldn't want to see it turned into any kind of Mickey Mouse display, but "reimagining" it a bit might be the closest anyone can get to having a sense of the scale of the place. Most of the area is densely rebuilt, and the size of the adobe enclosure was a pretty important part of the story.

As long as they reopen the basement.

quote:

Originally posted by jhe888:
As long as they reopen the basement.

So many missing bicycles!

SAN ANTONIO - The idea of a plexiglass wall around Alamo Plaza is no more for now. The wall, which was initially part of the Alamo’s master plan, has been tabled.

Not only did many people believe the wall would be historically inaccurate, people thought it would be a safety hazard in an emergency situation.

The Alamo master plan was approved in May. The approval from City Council includes the closing of Alamo Street from Houston Street to Market Street and the closing of Crockett Street from Losoya Street to Bonham.

The wall was one of the items most debated-about changes. The thinking is that it would create a barrier between the Alamo and the community.

Residents voiced their concerns about the enclosures at a series of public meetings. Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff was also one of the people against the change.

Wolff wrote a letter to Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush, thanking Bush for meeting with him and saying he's pleased to see that the wall has been tabled.

“It cuts off the circulation (for) people coming down Houston Street or coming the other way with the wall there. Believe me, they didn't have a plexiglass wall in 1836,” Wolff said.

The Alamo project is being funded by two separate propositions that passed in May. The total cost is estimated at $400 million.

Link

I lived in San Antonio for one year. I was more than disappointed with The Alamo. I expected something grand, like in the movie with John Wayne. I recall being told that the only original thing left was the wall. I do not know if that was true. It had an Adult bookstore across the street in those days and looked like a part of town I wanted to avoid. When I voiced those concerns I was told that the Paseo Del Rio used to basically be a sewer of sorts and that I should be happy they cleaned that up. They told me to travel to the old movie set and it would look more like the Alamo I imagined.

The missions however were more what I expected and I enjoyed those tours.

I hope they do something to spruce up the area, and make it an attractive destination.

It's been 10 years, but I remember the area around it as pretty hoppin with tourist foot traffic. I thought it was cool, if somewhat short, walk through.

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:
I lived in San Antonio for one year. I was more than disappointed with The Alamo. I expected something grand, like in the movie with John Wayne. I recall being told that the only original thing left was the wall. I do not know if that was true. It had an Adult bookstore across the street in those days and looked like a part of town I wanted to avoid. When I voiced those concerns I was told that the Paseo Del Rio used to basically be a sewer of sorts and that I should be happy they cleaned that up. They told me to travel to the old movie set and it would look more like the Alamo I imagined.

The missions however were more what I expected and I enjoyed those tours.

I hope they do something to spruce up the area, and make it an attractive destination.

When I was growing up in the hill country north of SA, the Alamo was in downtown, such as it was. The federal building was next door, the Menger Hotel etc.

The San Antonio river was a place one did not go, except for Casa Rio, a restaurant and The Landing, a night club where the Happy Jazz Band held forth with superb Dixieland. The river was a no man's land down to La Villita until the mid-60's when Hemisfair worked a redevelopment of the river area, built the Institute of Texan Cultures, lots of hotels on the river. The restaurant/bar scene got a life saving boost when the anti saloon law was repealed, in about 1970.

It certainly doesn't resemble the Alamo area of 1836. Trying to restore that is foolish, IMO.