The Conservation Society of San Antonio
Help Save the Institute of Texan Cultures Building!
UTSA and the City see demolition of this historic structure as a required piece of the multi-billion-dollar Project Marvel. The Conservation Society of San Antonio has repeatedly said that the structure could be a part of Project Marvel.
PETITION TO SAVE THE ITC BUILDING
Please sign and share on social media! As members of the public, let’s show we have a powerful interest in seeing this nationally significant landmark preserved and reused. Let’s keep the momentum going strong! The petition has been featured in the USModernist newsletter and MySA.
2025 Media Coverage
Society Appeals ITC Demolition Case at the State Level
April 16 – 17
The Conservation Society filed notification Wednesday, April 16, that it would appeal’s the District Court’s decision blocking UTSA and the City from being sued over the ongoing demolition of the Texas Pavilion/Institute of Texan Cultures building.
“We have filed notice of an appeal to the 15th Court of Appeals as we continue to try to make our voice heard,” said Lewis Vetter, President of the Conservation Society. “We are asking the 15th Court of Appeals to allow us to show evidence demonstrating that UTSA and COSA did not follow the law regarding this demolition.”
Ten lawyers for the defendants were present on Monday, April 14, when the local district court granted ‘Pleas to the Jurisdiction’ filed by COSA and UTSA. The Conservation Society argued that UTSA and the City were not acting legally, but these claims were not heard because the judge upheld COSA and UTSA’s sovereign immunity claims, ruling that the district court did not have jurisdiction.
UTSA and the City see demolition of this historic structure as a required piece of the multi-billion-dollar Project Marvel. The Conservation Society of San Antonio has repeatedly said that the structure could be a part of Project Marvel.
Battle to Save Institute of Texan Cultures Building – KLRN VIDEO
Society President Lewis Vetter goes On the Record with Randy Beamer to discuss.
As legal battle continues over ITC building, UTSA mum on demolition timeline and plans for the land – KENS 5
Can Institute of Texan Cultures be saved? Legal maneuver aims to stop demolition – San Antonio Express-News
Conservation Society Discovers How Many Lawyers It Takes to Demolish the Texas Pavilion
April 14 -15
Crews continued demolishing the Texas Pavilion/Institute of Texan Cultures building this week as attorneys for UTSA and the City moved to ensure that no hearing on a temporary restraining order would take place.
The Monday, April 14, hearing was forced by lawyers for UTSA and the City, who had ten lawyers in the courtroom.
“We were denied our opportunity to produce documents demonstrating UTSA and COSA’s wrongdoing when our subpoenas were quashed, and our motion for an extension was denied, said President Lewis Vetter.
“While we disagree with the judge’s ruling today, we do agree with her statement that what was happening to the Texas Pavilion is reprehensible. We remain committed to protecting the cultural heritage of San Antonio and our State Antiquities Landmarks and will move forward on appeal.” Read full press release
Judge’s ruling allows UTSA to continue razing of Institute of Texan Cultures – San Antonio Report
UTSA can continue tearing down Institute of Texan Cultures building, judge rules – San Antonio Express-News
Headlines Say Demolition Halted – It Depends on Your Definition
April 10
Various media outlets reported on Wednesday, April 9th, that UTSA had agreed “there would be no further damage damage to the structure until after next week’s (April 15th) hearing” (San Antonio Express-News). However, contractors were busy cutting the joints between all the concrete panels on the south facing wall today.
Read our press release about our ongoing legal action.
After legal wrangling, crews resume demolition of Texan Cultures Institute, future Spurs home – San Antonio Express-News
Tear down of Institute of Texan Cultures goes on as Conservation Society pleads for stay – San Antonio Report
April 9
UTSA says it will stop tearing down ITC walls, for now – KENS 5 VIDEO
After partial wall removal, Conservation Society seeks quick order blocking demo of former ITC building – KSAT 12 VIDEO
Demolition of Institute of Texan Cultures halted pending hearing next week – San Antonio Express-News
Demolition of San Antonio’s Institute of Texan Cultures halted – Texas Public Radio
April 8
ITC Demolition Underway Today
UTSA began demolition of walls of the landmarked ITC Building (Texas Pavilion) today. This appears to be in violation of the demolition permit issued by the Texas Historical Commission, including a public process for mitigation. It seems they may have accelerated demolition in response to our lawsuit.
Institute of Texan Cultures demolition underway despite San Antonio Conservation Society lawsuit – KSAT 12 VIDEO
Demolition appears to have begun at the Institute of Texan Cultures – KENS 5 VIDEO
April 2 – CONSERVATION SOCIETY FILES SUIT TO HALT ITC DEMOLITION
Wednesday April 2, 2025, the Conservation Society of San Antonio filed a lawsuit in District Court to halt demolition of the 1968 Texas Pavilion in Hemisfair, formerly the site of the Institute of Texan Cultures.
The suit outlines that the demolition violates the original 1967 deed that transferred the property from the City of San Antonio to the State of Texas and that a required federal review of the demolition did not occur. The suit also cites that UTSA and the City of San Antonio have moved forward with the demolition without following the requirements of the Texas Antiquities Code and those of the National Historic Preservation Act.
Society board members and staff, along with lawyers from the firm of Martinez de Vara, gathered in front of the Lady Justice Fountain at the Bexar County Courthouse as Conservation Society President Lewis Fisher announced the lawsuit at a morning press conference.
Read President Lewis Vetter’s statement to the media and the FAQ on our lawsuit.
Conservation Society sues to stop demolition of Institute of Texan Cultures – San Antonio Express-News
Group files lawsuit to try to save Institute of Texan Cultures from demolition – Texas Public Radio
Lawsuit may put brakes on Project Marvel’s $4B downtown revitalization in San Antonio – WOAI News 4 SA
New San Antonio Spurs arena on hold after Conservation Society sues to stop demolition of Texas Pavilion – San Antonio Current
Preservationists sue to halt razing of Institute of Texan Cultures before ‘it’s too late’ – San Antonio Report
Project Marvel Spurs arena site facing lawsuit – San Antonio Business Journal
San Antonio Conservation Society files lawsuit to halt ITC demolition – KSAT 12 VIDEO
Read online article here.
San Antonio group sues to prevent Institute of Texan Cultures pavilion from being torn down – MSN (KENS 5) VIDEO
UTSA’s Planned Demolition Linked to Project Marvel but Premature
The City of San Antonio wants a new Spurs Arena, estimated to cost at least $1 billion dollars, built on the site of UTSA’s Institute of Texan Cultures building: a local, state, and national landmark. UTSA, which entered into an exclusive agreement with the City behind closed doors, is prepping to the demolish mid-century monument to our state’s confluence of cultures. But the City needs Bexar County to contribute county venue tax to the arena funding mix. It’s not a foregone conclusion that a skeptical public, excluded from the City’s secretive Project Marvel planning process, will vote to approve it.
Bexar County Commissioner Tommy Calvert (Precinct 4) is the only public official who has actively engaged the public through recent town hall meetings about the effects of Project Marvel on the Eastside and downtown.
Society board member Betty Bueché, retired director of the County’s Heritage and Parks Department, spoke at both events. She called on UTSA to halt their demo-prep work and participate in public discussions. Watch her testimony at the Feb 1, 2025 event.
Conservation Society Decries Approval of Demolition Permit
On December 18, 2024, the Texas Historical Commission approved UTSA’s request to demolish the Institute of Texan Cultures building; a local, state, and national landmark. Conservation Society President Lewis Vetter responded with a sharply worded statement criticizing both actions.
Fortunately, the State permit has a series of conditions that must be met before demolition can proceed. Also, according to Texas Department of State Health Services, completion of the pre-demolition asbestos abatement is estimated to take until July.
While we are disappointed, we are not surprised, and we have not given up!
2024 Media Coverage:
Dec 21st – UTSA gets green light from state to demolish Institute of Texan Cultures Building – San Antonio Express-News.
Dec 20th – Texas Historic Commission oks demolition permit for the Institute of Texan Cultures Building – San Antonio Report.
Dec 8th – The Institute for the Study of International Expositions backs preserving the ITC building with a letter to the Texas Historical Commission.
Nov 17th – ITC added to Docomomo’s Explore Modern Register. Docomomo US is the United States chapter of Docomomo International, a non-profit organization dedicated to the documentation and conservation of buildings, sites and neighborhoods of the modern movement for nearly 25 years.
Nov 15th – Will Hemisfair building’s past block plans for Spurs’ future? – KSAT-12
Newsflash: It doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game, unless UTSA, the City, and the Spurs refuse to work with the community to find a workable preservation option. Such a great opportunity to set a national example in cultural and environmental sustainability – will they seize it or totally drop the ball?
Oct 31st – Conservation Society board member Betty Bueche speaks out On the Record with Randy Beamer – KLRN TV
Oct 29th – New historical status for Institute of Texan Cultures may slow down bid for new Spurs arena – Texas Public Radio
POLL: Should the Institute of Texan Cultures building be designated a historical landmark? – News4 SA. Nearly three-quarters (71%) of 454 participants say “Yes!”
Oct. 28th – UTSA’s plans to demolish Institute of Texan Cultures building dealt a blow by landmark designation – San Antonio Express-News
ITC BUILDING GETS STATE DESIGNATION!
The Texas Historical Commission voted to approve the Conservation Society’s community-driven request for State Antiquities Landmark designation for the Texas Pavilion/Institute of Texan Cultures (ITC) Building on Friday, October 25th, in Odessa. The struggle continues since UTSA can still assert its privileges as a university to get its demolition request approved.
THC Quarterly Meeting – Oct 25, 2024
You can watch the recorded meeting here. The Society outlined its case against demolition during the public comment period at the top of the agenda. Presentations came next, including one by UTSA. Our State Antiquities Landmark designation was item 8.2. Discussion included pointed comments from the commissioners about the unfair advantages for universities incorporated into the Texas Antiquities Code and how that needed to change. Only two commissioners dissented from voting in favor of designation.
Because the University of Texas at San Antonio still wants to demolish the building, public support continues to be critical. Many thanks to everyone who responded to our call to action! The commissioners received 41 comments supporting designation (only one against), plus a copy of our online petition with 1,857 signatures, in their packets. We are especially grateful to have received letters of support from the following organizations:
Preservation Texas
Latinos in Heritage Conservation
Westside Preservation Alliance/Esperanza Peace & Justice Center/Historic Westside Residents Alliance
Society of Architectural Historians
This template letter outlined key reasons why this irreplaceable world’s fair icon from HemisFair ’68 should and can be preserved for the benefit of all Texas residents and visitors.
UPDATE
Oct 25 – ITC Building receives State Antiquities Landmark designation by a 7-2 vote of the Texas Historical Commission in Odessa. Commissioner David Gravelle of Dallas exhorted his colleagues not to “fold like tacos!”
July 26 – Great News! The State Antiquities Advisory Board voted to advance our State Antiquities Landmark nomination to the Texas Historical Commission (THC) for consideration. We are one step closer to State designation. This also opens up a 30-day window for public comment before the Commission’s next quarterly meeting. We hope to be on the THC agenda for October 24-25, 2024 in Midland/Odessa.
July 3 – “Can the Institute of Texan Cultures be Saved from Project Marvel?” David Martin Davies speaks to Conservation Society President Lewis Vetter and San Antonio Express-News reporter Madison Iszler on TPR’s The Source.
July 2 – Commentary: “Reach out to community to preserve the Texas Pavilion” – Conservation Society President Lewis Vetter asks UTSA to apply its core values of collaboration and innovation to reuse the Institution of Cultures building.
July 1 – ITC featured on recorded MACRI Talk: Summer Road Trip. Host Sarah Zenaida Gould of MACRI and Jesús Najar of Preservation Texas discuss four endangered Mexican American historic sites in Texas. Includes links to support their preservation.
ITC makes Preservation Texas list of Most Endangered Places 2024
“San Marcos, TX — Preservation Texas has unveiled its annual list of Texas’s Most Endangered Places, encompassing 12 individual sites and one cultural landscape across the state. From the indigenous cultural expanse of Indian Hot Springs in Hudspeth County to the 1968 Institute of Texan Cultures Building in San Antonio, the list spans a diverse array of architectural styles and historical significance.”
May 31 – Fox News 29 covered the closing day at the ITC. Visitors John Dye and Chip Leick shared what makes the building special.
May 15 – The Institute of Texan Cultures Museum will close at the end of May. All are invited to a free open house at the ITC on Friday, May 31st, from 10:oo AM to 4:00 PM. The event will include opportunities to share and record memories. In the meantime, the ITC remains open Thurs. – Sun. from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Admission is by donation.
Apr. 19 – The Conservation Society’s Executive Director, Dr. Vincent Michael, provides perspective in his most recent blog post: “Only downtown landmark by a Mexican-American architect to be demolished.”
As we celebrate the endangered building’s official listing on the National Register of Historic Places, keep in mind that less than 4% of National Register listings relate to Latino history or design. In 2014, the first Spanish language TV station in the United States – Univision – was demolished in downtown San Antonio despite being eligible for the National Register.
UTSA Announces Plans to Demolish ITC Building
Apr. 3 – UTSA has announced, “In order to be as flexible as possible as next steps are evaluated, the university will issue a Request for Proposals to remove the Texas Pavilion, ensuring plans can move forward depending on how the land is eventually redeveloped. UTSA will continue to work directly with the Texas Historical Commission to ensure that the legacy of the Texas Pavilion is properly documented and celebrated.”
“UTSA takes next strategic steps to ensure bold future for the Institute of Texan Cultures” – UTSA Today
So, why does UTSA’s “bold future” consist of repeating common development mistakes from the past: destroying a nationally significant landmark (eligible for rehabilitation tax credits) and ignoring best practices in environmental sustainability?
And why, in San Antonio – the birthplace of the Mexican American Civil Rights movement – is the public expected to make to due with empty commemorations instead of the actual historic sites that honor this unique aspect of our heritage?
“UTSA to raze Institute of Texan Cultures building and construct new home for museum” – San Antonio Express-News
Feb. 22 – The UT Board of Regents voted to allow UTSA conditional approval to enter into talks about selling or leasing the Institute of Texan Cultures property to the City. Despite the speculation about the Spurs possibly returning to Hemisfair, no one is speaking on the record about the particulars.
Only Downtown Landmark Designed by Mexican American Architect
Jan. 30 – Yet another reason to come together to repurpose the Texas Pavilion (Institute of Texan Cultures building): the design influence of architect Willie Pena, one of the few prominent Mexican American architects of the 20th century. He served as an unnamed partner with the firm of Caudill, Rowlett, & Scott, which designed the building. This letter to the State Board of Review documents the significant connection between the Institute of Texan Cultures and Mexican American Civil Rights.
Jan. 13, 2024 – the State Board of Review approved the nomination of the Texas Pavilion (Institute of Texan Cultures building) to the National Register of Historic Places. Nine speakers traveled to the Galveston meeting to support the nomination in person, while UTSA opposed it. The board’s approval is the first step in the nomination process. It is now up to the State Historic Preservation Officer to send the nomination on to the National Parks Service for final approval.
MEDIA COVERAGE
Likely site for new San Antonio Spurs arena could be sold or leased to the city – San Antonio Express-News, Feb. 22, 2024.
UTSA gets ‘conditional approval’ to sell or lease Hemisfair property to city – San Antonio Report, Feb. 22, 2024.
Commentary: Trailblazing Hispanic architect left out of Institute of Texan Cultures story – San Antonio Express-News, Jan. 30, 2024.
¡Que Viva Willie Peña!, courtesy of Dr. Sarah Zenaida Gould, MACRI Executive Director.
Learn more about one of the most prominent Mexican American architects of the last century, William Merriweather Peña (1919-2018).
“On the Record,” Jan. 18. 2024 – KLRN
Society member Betty Bueche discusses the building’s potential with Randy Beamer (after interview with Councilman Pelaez). Betty is the former Director of Bexar County Heritage and Parks Department, the first woman Park Superintendent for Texas Parks and Wildlife, and a recipient of Texas Historical Commission’s Ruth Lester Lifetime Achievement Award.
Institute for Texan Cultures seeks designation that might save it – Texas Public Radio, Jan. 16, 2024
Society President Kathy Krnavek and Executive Director Vincent Michael speak to Jack Morgan about the advantages of National Register designation for the building’s future re-use.
National Register listing for Institute of Texan Cultures site gets state OK. What does that mean? – San Antonio Express-News, Jan. 16, 2024
State board approves historic listing for Institute of Texan Cultures – KSAT-12, Jan. 16, 2024
Group seeks historic designation for ITC amid UTSA’s objection – San Antonio Report, Jan. 13. 2024
THANK YOU TO OUR SUPPORTERS
On Behalf of the Conservation Society of San Antonio:
Thanks to all of you for your energy and commitment over long months to this cause.
The presentations in Galveston were excellent. We are so grateful for those who saw us off from the Texas Pavilion/ITC building on Friday.
So many thanks to all who wrote or submitted statements online – it was an overwhelming show of support and a testament to all those who got the word out to their members and friends. The count we heard was 47 written letters and roughly 200 received via e-mail!
BACKGROUND
The Texas Pavilion (Institute of Texan Cultures or ITC) is one of HemisFair ‘68’s largest and most distinctive original buildings. Built as a permanent structure by the State of Texas, it has served as a museum of diverse Texan cultures for over 50 years. It meets National Register criteria for historic and architectural significance. The draft nomination is currently available online.
The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) plans to move the museum to a location closer to the Alamo. They want to sell the ITC building. The Conservation Society’s only concern is the future of this iconic Hemisfair building – and the National Register can help the next owner preserve and reuse it!
Listing on the National Register of Historic Places allows a developer to take advantage of preservation tax incentives worth 45% of all rehab costs! That means a $50 million project costs the developer only $27.5 million! The nomination does not, however, prevent demolition.
The former Texas Pavilion, designed by the Houston firm of Caudill, Rowlett & Scott, anchors the east end of Hemisfair Park, making HemisFair one of the least altered of the post-WW II world’s fair sites. Let’s help keep it that way!
