Remember the Alamo? It’s Getting a Makeover

Soon the area around the historic site could have a more open plaza, free of the downtown traffic and noise from tourist attractions.

By Michael MarksDecember 1, 2016 12:27 pm

The Alamo is one of Texas’ most iconic sites. The 1836 siege that took place there is also one of the best-known stories in the state. But soon, the Alamo is going to change.

The old mission itself won’t change, but the area around it – plagued with tourist attractions, noise and foot traffic – is getting a multi-million dollar makeover designed to turn the plaza into a world-class historic destination. The Texas General Land Office and nonprofit Alamo Endowment met with the San Antonio Express-News recently to share the master plan details.

Reporter Scott Huddleston was at the meeting. He says the plan includes undoing some of the damage from the original battles and creating a 120,000-square-foot visitor center and museum. Right now, the site faces tourist attractions like Ripley’s Believe It or Not! and Louis Tussaud’s Waxworks. But that could also change.

“Part of the elements of this plan – and we’re just seeing them kind of crystallize – is to remove those businesses, move them elsewhere to a new entertainment district downtown and close that area to traffic so that you do get more of a reverent feel when you’re there,” Huddleston says.

What you’ll hear in this segment:

– The price tag of this project

– Who’s footing the bill

– How the Alamo experience will change