Rolling Down the River Walk

I was headed to San Antonio for a few days, and I asked friends familiar with the area to make recommendations with regard to things to see and do. Naturally, I expected the Alamo to top everyone's list. But most people I asked told me instead to not miss the San Antonio River Walk. As one acquaintance put it, "It's just like being in Venice!" Since Venice is one of my favorite cities, I made a mental note to make sure I visited the Paseo del Rio, as the River Walk is otherwise known. Visions of strolling by crumbling adobe buildings fronting charming canals while oak-paneled boats glided gently past, in a uniquely Tex-Mex interpretation of La Serenissima, filled my mind.

After spending an afternoon of strolling about the River Walk, I can say this with certainty: Venice it ain't. But that is certainly not a bad thing. For what the River Walk is, though, is a charming, bustling symbol of successful urban renewal. And a great place to spend time shopping, dining, drinking, or simply just sitting on a bench, watching people go by.

The area around the San Antonio River was first inhabited by the Native American Payaya tribe, with the river itself being known by the name Yanaguana. Through the years, Spanish missionaries, soldiers, and settlers gradually took over, and by the late 1800s the district had become a crowded section of the now-lively town of San Antonio. Given its proximity to the river, flooding was an all too frequent problem, to the point where, by 1919, civil engineers were predicting that a large flood could have dire consequences. But the warnings went largely unheeded.

Unfortunately, as it turned out. In 1921, a severe thunderstorm precipitated disastrous flooding that put downtown under nine feet of water. Over 50 people died, and millions of dollars worth of property destroyed. Belatedly realizing that, ha ha, the eggheads were right after all, the City Fathers spent three years working with the Army Corps of Engineers on a flood control plan. Among the conclusions of this plan were the recommendations to demolish a few structures constructed at the river's edge, and straighten out the river in choice spots.

Alarmed at this early version of an "Urban Renewal" plan, a group of concerned residents led by the inimitable Emily Edwards formed the San Antonio Conservation Society. Utilizing publicity stunts ranging from canoe rides on the river to showcase the river's natural, curvy beauty, to a puppet show for City Commissioners called "The Goose That Lays The Golden Egg", the Society eventually succeeded in delaying the decision to fill and straighten out the picturesque river bend areas downtown.

When the final flood control plans were released in 1926, Miss Edwards and Co. were therefore dismayed to find out that the main recommendation was to turn the river bend into a gigantic concrete storm drain, with city streets going over it. This led to redoubled efforts by the Conservation Society, along with numerous other groups that formed after the "Pave Over Paradise, Put Up a Parking Lot" proposal became known, to save the river. Luckily, the efforts bore fruit, and the commissioners eventually pushed through a plan that called for construction of a bypass channel, floodgate, and two dams to aid in water flow during times of heavy rainfall.

A few years after, San Antonio native Robert Hugman approached City Hall with an innovative idea for transforming the river. An architect by training, he proposed a mix of shops, parks, and other public areas that would make the river a destination instead of just a waterway. Among the highlights of his presentation to the City were a plan to import gondolas and have them cruising silently on the river, which led a rather uneducated public official to declare, "Oh, we won't need to buy any gondolas. We can get a pair and raise our own."

Homegrown gondolas aside, the novel plans for the area were quite enthusiastically received. However, the city was tightly in the grip of the Great Depression, and funds were scarce. Hugman kept at it though, and eventually money was raised from a combination of WPA (Works Projects Administration) grants and a local bond assessment. The River Walk project broke ground in 1939, with details like thirty-one unique stairways to the river's edge, as well as an outdoor theatre later named after supervising engineer Edward P. Arneson, all painstakingly designed and executed by Hugman himself. Sadly, due to political infighting, Hugman was kicked off the River Walk project a year after, replaced by J. Fred Buenz, who finally finished the project in 1941.

The onset of the Second World War severely restricted River Walk development, and the commercial component called for in Hugman's original plan remained unfulfilled. Most businesses regarded the River Walk with disdain, and soon the area developed a reputation so unpleasant that the Armed Forces declared it off-limits to all military personnel.

Then in 1956, the River Walk's long hoped-for renaissance finally started to take place. Robert Frazer, head of the San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department, started a small botanical garden by the River Walk that led to a major landscaping project involving 17,000 trees, shrubs, and other flora. He also directed park rangers to increase their River patrols. With a cleaner, greener appearance, and vastly better security, the River Walk, for the first time in years, began to be seen as a destination.

The dramatically improved conditions of the River Walk led to the next step in its revival. David Straus, a local businessman, teamed up with the Chamber of Commerce and formed the Tourist Attraction Committee to find ways of boosting economic development in the area. This led to the establishment of a River Walk District and a River Walk Advisory Commission, modeled upon similar organizations in Carmel, California, and New Orleans, Louisiana, which members of the Committee had visited. Since then eight major hotels, as well as the posh River Center Mall, have opened in the River Walk district, along with close to 60 restaurants, bars, and shops. In the intervening years, the River Walk was also extended to the city's Convention Center Complex (just in time for the 1968 World's Fair), the King William Historic District, and the old Ursuline Convent area, which has been transformed into the landmark Southwest Craft Center.

Today, the River Walk has become the second most popular destination in San Antonio, after the famed Alamo. It boasts of everything from San Antonio's best dining establishments and watering holes, to little docks where you can catch a lazy boat ride on the water, to quiet spots of green where one can enjoy lovely vistas of the river. The River Walk finally, after 80 years, has realized its full potential. So should you find yourself with some free time in San Antonio, drop by the famed Paseo del Rio, and enjoy a drink at one of the many establishments along the river. And while you're there, raise a toast to Miss Edwards, Mr. Hugman, Mr. Frazer, Mr. Straus, and even the virtues of gondolas you can raise yourself. All of whose spirits are present in the urban playground known as the San Antonio River Walk.…

Text and photos by Wilson F. Fang