SAN ANTONIO – The University of Texas at San Antonio plans to move the Institute of Texan Cultures to Frost Tower as it formalizes plans for a permanent home for the museum.
It’s a landmark decision that comes after years of community engagement and recognition that the current site, constructed in 1968 for the World’s Fair, needs significant repairs.
“We must proceed on a thoughtful path forward to maximize current opportunities that will allow us to properly preserve the museum’s current exhibits while building a new museum that will serve and educate visitors for decades to come,” UTSA President Taylor Eighmy said.
UTSA plans to house the museum on the first floor of the Frost Tower for roughly five years. That will allow university time to identify a site where it can construct a new permanent home for the ITC.
As I have previously reported, UTSA’s preferred site for a new museum is land to the east of the Alamo near the Crockett Hotel. University officials said that site could house a 65,000-square-foot, multistory museum as well as a parking structure and various “engagement spaces.”
UTSA is also considering an alternative site next to the university’s Southwest Campus.
There will be a transition period as museum officials move archives to storage and build out the space at Frost for the ITC collection. The museum is expected to close at the end of May and reopen at its temporary home in early 2025.
“Our goal is to provide an updated experience to reconnect with the community and connect with new visitors,” said Monica Perales, associate vice provost for the Institute of Texan Cultures.
In 2021, UTSA launched a community engagement and visioning campaign to evaluate long-term options for the museum that’s led to this decision.
Read the full story in the San Antonio Business Journal.
Editor’s note: This story was published through a partnership between KSAT and the San Antonio Business Journal.