"I was walking through the ruins of Beirut with a friend called Soula Saad. She remarked to me that her city had been destroyed seven times. I asked her half in jest why they did not give up re-building and just move elsewhere. 'Because those who do not honor the earth where their ancestors are buried will be damned forever.' "
- Paulo Coelho, Warrior of the Light Online
The name was changed to The Alamo Cement Company in 1881, the company diversified into building stone and sidewalk construction. Its materials were used in the construction of the Texas State Capitol and the Driskill Hotel, two of the state's most famous landmarks in Austin.
When the original quarry's resources were exhausted, it later became the Japanese Sunken Gardens at Brackenridge Park. The company was north of their original location at a new site, by 1908, in an area known as Cementville. It left the Cementville location in 1985, to move further North.
By 1997, Cementville represented 500 acres of neglect in the heart of San Antonio, between downtown and the airport. The owners and Trammel Crow's Bob Barnes had a vision ... a vision of paying tribute to what it had been for nearly a century, what it meant to the economy and to the people who worked there.
The Alamo Quarry Market, opened in 1998, is just that. There were environmental issues, historic preservation issues and difficult leasing issues. But when the momentum began, it attracted a higher level of retail to San Antonio. To San Antonio for the first time were retailers like Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware, Whole Earth Provision Company, joining Regal Cinemas, Whole Foods, Bed, Bath and Beyond and Victoria's Secret.
On the acres of the Quarry Market are reminders of her past ... the five giant smokestacks, (much of the original architecture of the plant was maintained), a Caterpillar, a crane, a railroad car that transported materials.
Some complain about its design and that it makes only minor attempts to pay tribute to the historic elements. On the website Project for Public Spaces, the writer states, "A giant retail complex whose elements are so spread out that shoppers might well drive between them."
And, most San Antonians respond with -
"It's still an awesome development, the preservation of the quarry deserves merit, so get over it. I love the Quarry. Compared to other cities that are mostly sterile, places not unique such as Atlanta, Dallas and Phoenix." - Paul Hernandez (10/14/03)
"If you want another Target or Wal-mart, just go a couple blocks and they are everywhere!" - Allie S. (5/01/05)
Mr. Barnes told me the story of being in Whole Earth Provisions, the store under the smokestacks of the center, and overhearing a gentleman giving a tour to friends. He overheard him say, in an amazed whisper, "I'm not sure, but this may be the original floor."
The Quarry is a destination and a landmark. It draws people like a magnet to new places to shop, eat and enjoy. It's an experiential setting that can not be duplicated.
“The Alamo Quarry Market is the premier Lifestyle Center in San Antonio. It is one of the most architecturally significant shopping centers in the country. ... As part of the center’s design, the original five smokestacks, Rock Crusher Building and Clinker Building are incorporated into the project. The center boasts approximately 590,000/SF of the nation’s top retailers.”
- American Assets, Inc., San Diego, CA, http://www.americanassets.com/retail_detail.asp?id=1
