SAN ANTONIO – The Tower of the Americas will get a nearly $20 million facelift that could be completed by the end of 2025.
City Council approved the ordinance in a consent agenda that will give design upgrades to the Tower and a five-year lease extension with Landry’s Restaurants, Inc. The new lease contract with Landry’s will go through fiscal year 2031.
According to city council’s agenda memorandum, Landry’s has leased the Tower of the Americas and operated the Chart House restaurant since 2004. The 15-year lease expired during the pandemic, and both parties agreed to operate in holdover while negotiating an extension.
These upgrades come as the Tower continues to age, and regular maintenance is needed.
“Just like any building, over time, things have to be upgraded and here we’re talking about elevators again, plumbing, electrical,” said John Jacks, Center City Development and Operations Director
Under the agreement, the City’s Maintenance & Repair Project would provide $15.4 million for the upgrades. Landry’s would also add another $4 million for improvements.
Improvements would include:
- Repairs to the concrete shaft of the Tower
- Electrical, mechanical, plumbing and HVAC system improvements
- Safety and fire prevention upgrades
- Refreshing the observation deck, restaurant space, theater and retail spaces
- Improvements to the tophouse and plumbing
“It’s a lot of things that you may not notice because they’re kind of internal to the building,” Jacks said.
Landry’s has selected Sabinal Construction Group to complete the repairs.
A two-month shutdown of Chart House restaurant at the top of the Tower would begin approximately in mid-April 2025. The closure of Chart House would come after the NCAA’s Men’s Final Four competition.
“it’ll be open during Final Four and then as soon as Final Four is over, they’ll start the work that requires the closure,” said Jacks.
During this period, Landry’s will not pay rent and will receive a 50% rent reduction in the first three months after reopening. During other parts of the year, the Tower will remain open during construction.
The project is expected to be completed in Dec. 2025.
A project of this nature has been years in the making. In 2022, the City opened bidding for renovations to the Tower.
Prior to the 2022 Bond, the City initiated a facility assessment of the Tower and developed the $15.4 million project budget. The project was funded with $10 million from the 2022 Bond, and funding was allocated in fiscal years 2021 and 2022.
The Tower of the Americas opened in April 1968.