San Antonio River Walk

Did You Know?

• The River Walk inspired similar projects such as the Little Sugar Creek Greenway in Charlotte, North Carolina, and the Santa Lucía Riverwalk in Monterrey, Mexico.
• The annual springtime Fiesta San Antonio includes a River Parade with flowery floats that float down the river.
• The River Walk's muddy bottom receives an annual cleaning during the Mud Festival.

History

In September 1921, a flood on the San Antonio River killed 51 people and left 23 missing, prompting flood-control plans. One proposal was to build the Olmos Dam and a bypass channel, then pave over a downtown river bend and create a storm sewer. Work on the dam and channel began in 1926, but the San Antonio Conservation Society successfully protested the paved sewer. In 1929, San Antonio native and architect Robert Hugman submitted plans for what became the River Walk.

Hugman endorsed the bypass channel but suggested a flood gate at the upstream end of the bend, a small dam at the downstream end, and a Tainter gate in the channel to regulate flow. He proposed commercial development called "The Shops of Aragon and Romula" and kept his architect's office along the bend. His plan was initially poorly received; the area was considered dangerous and declared off-limits to military personnel, with warnings of drowning risk.

Hugman was named project architect. In 1946, another major flood threatened downtown, but the Olmos Dam and bypass channel minimized damage. That year, Casa Rio opened as the first restaurant in the area, next to Hugman's office.

Growth and expansion

Expansion plans exist for areas north and south of Downtown. Chain restaurants now occupy about a third of commercial space, prompting discussion at City Hall about limiting them to preserve local character. On May 30, 2009, the city opened the $72 million Museum Reach, featuring the San Antonio Museum of Art and the Pearl Brewery, which became popular with locals. In May 2011, the River Walk was extended several miles from Downtown to Mission Espada on the south side; this Mission Reach emphasized ecological controls and trail improvements for hiking and biking, with paddling and biking trails connecting UNESCO World Heritage Missions.

Talk about cleaning the water has arisen, though the muddy bottom and silt deposits make it difficult; the bottom receives an annual cleaning during the Mud Festival. In early 2016, the River Walk was connected for the first time with another linear urban walkway, the San Pedro Creek Greenway, at the confluence of San Pedro Creek and the San Antonio River near Mission Concepción. On May 25, 2017, Esperanza Andrade and Lisa Wong won a 10–1 City Council vote for a $100 million contract to operate barges on the River Walk, rejecting the city manager's recommendation of Chicago-based Entertainment Cruises. In 2021, the River Walk was temporarily used as a water source after a winter storm crippled Texas infrastructure.

In film

The River Walk appears in the 1972 film The Getaway in a scene with Steve McQueen and Al Lettieri. The 1984 film Cloak & Dagger includes an extended chase scene there. Portions of the River Walk are seen in beauty pageant scenes of the 2000 film Miss Congeniality.