The Alamo selects team for design of visitor center and museum
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By The Alamo
The Alamo is excited to announce the selection of Gensler, a global design firm with offices in San Antonio and throughout Texas, and GRG Architecture to provide design services for the world-class Alamo Visitor Center and Museum. This project will repurpose the historic Crockett Block and Woolworth buildings on the west side of Alamo Plaza. It will provide over 30,000 square feet of gallery space for dynamic installations of the Alamo's collection of original documents and artifacts to deepen visitors' understanding of the comprehensive history of the site.
Gensler and GRG Architecture will work with the Alamo Trust and the Texas General Land Office (GLO) on the design of this new facility, which will be home to the entire Alamo Collection as well as the Phil Collins Collection. Representatives from Bexar County and the City of San Antonio joined the Alamo Trust and GLO on the Architectural Review Committee, along with key stakeholders, museum and architecture experts, and members of the local community. A request for qualifications (RFQ) was issued in June and 13 firms applied for the work. Upon review, the committee unanimously selected the team of Gensler and GRG Architecture. Gallagher & Associates will manage the interpretive plan, the exhibits and the overall visitor experience and Broaddus and Associates will manage the design and construction process.
“The Alamo is one of our most important landmarks — certainly in Texas history, but also in the United States — and is known around the world. We must preserve this history and share the stories of all who lived, fought and died at the Alamo, and we will be doing it in a way that speaks to our shared history and its continued relevance.”
— Kate Rogers, Executive Director of Alamo Trust, Inc.
“Working with our partners — the State of Texas, Bexar County and the City of San Antonio — and listening to the needs of our community, we are confident that we have the right team in place to create the world-class visitor experience that this sacred space deserves.”
Gensler and GRG Architecture bring extensive expertise in collections storage and curatorial spaces to this project, and are currently working on the Alamo Exhibition Hall & Collections Building. Their collective resume includes the collections storage and administrative offices for the Broad Museum in Los Angeles, the New York Public Library Milstein Research Stacks and Special Collections, and the American Kennel Club's Museum of the Dog, also in New York. Some of their work in San Antonio includes the adaptive reuse of the historic Grant & Kress buildings, the adaptive reuse and repositioning of the Light and Print Building, and the Mission San Jose Pavilion.
Design of the new facility will begin immediately with a phased construction start in 2023. The Alamo Visitor Center and Museum is scheduled to open in 2025. Visit https://www.thealamo.org/support/alamo-plan for updates.