All’s Fair in Love and Art

How Hemisfair Park put San Antonio on the world stage

By Scott Rouch

Waterfalls, sculptures and mosaics greet visitors to Hemisfair. The home to the 1968 World’s Fair, which has been part of San Antonio’s fabric ever since, has been revitalized.

April 6, 1968 was a watershed moment for San Antonio; the opening of the six-month World’s Fair, dubbed HemisFair ’68, put the city in the limelight and on the international map. Today, Hemisfair Park is a space marked by playgrounds and splash pads, picnic areas, with top-notch hotels, restaurants and easy access to the Alamo, among establishments that have become institutions themselves.

HemisFair ‘68 changed San Antonio forever,” said Andres Andujar, CEO of the Hemisfair Park Area Redevelopment Corporation (HPARC). “It opened our eyes to the world, and it showed the world our tenacity and innovation, essential virtues to pull off a world’s fair.”

“The Fair also kick-started the convention and tourism industry in San Antonio,” he added.

HPARC, a 13-member board, was established in 2009 to help revitalize the area, which Andujar said had dwindled in the years since the fair.

HemisFair ‘68 laid its roots three years prior when it was awarded the World’s Fair. Land was acquired and structures were built. The River Walk was extended a quarter mile into the fair grounds. Some structures kept their original shape and name, others have morphed into something else or have been demolished. Among the most notable of the fair’s original construction efforts that remain are the 750-foot-tall Tower of the Americas, the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center (San Antonio Convention Center), the Institute of Texan Cultures (Texas State Pavilion), the John H. Wood, Jr., Federal Courthouse (U.S. Pavilion) and the Hilton Palacio del Rio.

HemisFair circa 1968.

The Hilton Palacio del Rio.

HemisFair Arena, which was attached to the convention center’s exhibit hall, became the home of the city’s first major professional sports team. The domed arena housed the ABA Spurs from 1973-75 before they joined the NBA in 1976. It brought fans from all over the city to cheer on the home team until the squad moved to the Alamodome in 1993. The arena was razed for convention center expansion in 1995.

The convention center is the park’s top draw, bringing in more than 300 events and 750,000 convention delegates annually.

The Tower of the Americas, the city’s largest landmark, is a popular spot to dine while taking in the majesty of the city from high atop it.

The fair was built on a 96-acre site on San Antonio’s southeastern edge, at the time known as Germantown. According to the Texas State Historical Association, nearly 1,500 structures were demolished while two-dozen existing streets were altered. More than 20 historic structures survived and have been woven into the fabric of Hemisfair Park.

“The economy had stagnated from the Depression to the World’s Fair. The biggest urban renewal was HemisFair,” said Mark Louis, author of “San Antonio Uncovered,” who hosts the website and podcast “Travel With Hawkeye.” “Because of that people discovered these historic buildings. San Antonio has tons of historic buildings. Strange, but this massive renewal project saved old buildings.”

One of the new buildings erected for the fair was constructed in world record time. The H.B. Zachry Corp’s Hilton Palacio del Rio, on the banks of the San Antonio River, was designed, finished and occupied in 202 days, opening a mere week before the fair began. The 21-story, 496-room hotel was a model for the modular construction industry as well.

In 2008, the park added more rooms with the construction of the Grand Hyatt San Antonio, which is connected to the Convention Center, in addition to other hotels.

Tower of the Americas, present-day.

Greenery abounds.

The fair, which began just two days after the assassination of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., attracted six million visitors and the ITC, a cultural heritage museum, has played a large role since its roots were laid.

“In the height of the Vietnam War and Civil Rights movement, Texas did something revolutionary: it showed the world its diverse heritage and the many cultures that helped define what it meant to be Texan,” said James Benavides, UTSA Institute of Texan Cultures (ITC) senior communications specialist. “Texas had promised it would do something big for the World’s Fair and they delivered a pavilion showcasing the many cultures that called Texas home, with nearly 30 represented on the main exhibit floor … This made the Texas Pavilion one of the most visited areas on the fairgrounds, and solidified its place as a permanent museum and educational center after the fair closed in October 1968,” Benavides added.

“The Institute of Texan Cultures is a highlight of Hemisfair Park and San Antonio,” said Andrew Scott, a 12-year resident of San Antonio. “Many people aren’t aware of the historic diversity of Texas, and it is wonderfully depicted and recorded at the Institute. Hemisfair Park is also just a stroll away from The Alamo and the River Walk. This whole area is really the heart of this city.”

And plans for growth haven’t halted–fair from it, according to Andujar, who noted two long-term ground lease agreements have been inked. The first, set to open in the second quarter of 2019, is a $28 million project with AREA Real Estate; it will consist of 151 units of mixed-income housing, 5,000 square feet of commercial space and a parking structure. The second, with Zachry Hospitality and NRP, is a $200 million project with 342 residences, 200 hotel rooms, an urban market, office space and a large underground garage.

“At build-out, we will have re-established the density of the neighborhood that existed before the Fair, while increasing protected urban parkland where San Antonio meets,” Andujar said. “And we know our visitors seek out the places and neighborhoods where the locals hang out—right next to our beloved River Walk and Convention Center.”