In San Antonio, adaptive re-use continues brewing

Early in the 20th Century, the Pearl Brewery in San Antonio was the largest in Texas, and it continued to be a renowned site in the city until brewing operations were shut down in the 1980s. It remained vacant until Rio Perla purchased it in 2001 and set about transforming it into the Pearl Brewery/Full Goods Warehouse, a 26-acre mix of residences, retail, offices, and gathering places.



“This is a new community meeting ground where visionary private development and public space come together to create a vibrant urban destination,” wrote a panel from the American Institute of Architects about the Pearl Brewery project after it opened in 2010.



So-called adaptive re-use of abandoned properties is having another day, and at another old brewery, in San Antonio. In 2017, CBL will break ground on a mixed-used redevelopment of The Lone Star Brewery, a site already known for attracting tourists to its biergarten with root beers for kids, an Olympic-sized outdoor swimming pool, and the Buckhorn Museum and its Hall of Horns.



“It was where San Antonions had their first beers, celebrated birthdays and anniversaries. It was a place where lifelong memories were made,” said CBL VP of Development David Neuhoff.



Having received final approval from the San Antonio City Council earlier this month, CBL is poised to begin adding attractions to the Lone Star Brewery that will bring people back in much greater numbers. Two anchor tenants have already been signed: a 10-screen Cinemark with an XD theater and a 25,000-sq.-ft Punch Bowl Social offering games, as well as food and beverage.



Completion of phase one of the project is slated for completion in fall 2018.

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