Last Updated on January 30, 2024
The San Antonio River Authority (River Authority) and Bexar County are excited to announce a fun-filled weekend of festivities in celebration of the completion of Phase 1 of San Pedro Creek Culture Park (Culture Park). Come join us with your friends and family Friday, October 14, through Sunday, October 16, for a new chapter in San Antonio’s culture, art, and nature. The Culture Park is brimming with public art that honors the Creek’s vast history and cultural significance. It will serve as a destination space that enhances the vitality of downtown San Antonio.
La Gloriosa Historia de San Pedro Creek On My Mind: A Story in Five Episodes, a new artwork in Phase 1.2 of the Culture Park.
A grand ribbon-cutting ceremony will kick off the events on Friday, October 14, with the River Authority and Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff. Celebrations on Saturday, October 15, and Sunday, October 16, include entertaining activities and performances for all ages to enjoy.
Along with the celebratory activities, visitors are invited to experience two new public art installations. Brooklyn-based artist Adam Frank’s STREAM is an interactive piece that converts sound into a visual light display along a 250-foot water wall. The beautiful 5-panel mural, La Gloriosa Historia de San Pedro Creek On My Mind: A Story in Five Episodes, by local artists Lionel and Kathy Sosa, is another must-see creation. Finally, don’t forget to visit the archaeological site that commemorates the rich history of the Klemcke/Menger Soapworks Factory, St. James African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church, Alamo Icehouse, and Alamo Icehouse & Brewery.
STREAM by Adam Frank
What is the Culture Park?
San Pedro Creek can be considered the city’s birthplace, for it was here that the first dwellers and future generations of indigenous peoples and settlers founded what would become San Antonio. This historic Creek became the location where the convergence of civilizations in our community took root and evolved. However, over the years, this vital water source and ecosystem was swallowed by progress and largely forgotten by many residents.
In the early 2000s, with a better understanding of how the small but mighty Creek played an essential role in flood mitigation efforts, the renovation and rejuvenation of San Pedro Creek took shape. Thus, San Pedro Creek Culture Park—a hard-working stretch of the original waterway that serves as not only an enrichment space but a flood control, water quality, and ecosystem restoration project—was born. The Culture Park is a multi-phased and multi-year joint project of Bexar County, the River Authority, and the City of San Antonio.
The Culture Park is an investment in history, art, and nature while serving as an economic development catalyst for the community. Along its original banks, which skirt the western edge of Downtown San Antonio, are cultural landmarks of the city’s growth. As an investment in these areas, the project shines a light on historically significant places and spaces while helping
drive the economy for downtown businesses and the residents who live and work there. Once fully complete, the Culture Park is expected to spur a $1.5 billion economic impact.
Quarterly drum circles are currently held at the Plaza de Fundación at San Pedro Creek Culture Park.
The innovative engineering and architecture practices of the Culture Park incorporate sustainable development practices and green infrastructure techniques while employing the most current best-practice standards for water control and quality management. These practices help to reduce the sources of pollution to the creek and ensure the sustainability of biotic habitats. These practices, also in use among other developments in the city, continue to demonstrate San Antonio’s forward-thinking approach to responsible development and high building standards.
A final schedule of the weekend events will soon be posted on the Culture Park’s website. We look forward to seeing you at the park to celebrate this new gift to the people of San Antonio!
The River Reach is back!
River Reach is a quarterly, 12-page newsletter that is designed to inform the San Antonio River Authority’s constituents about the agency’s many projects, serve as a communication vehicle for the board of directors and foster a sense of unity and identity among the residents of Bexar, Wilson, Karnes, and Goliad counties.
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