History of the San Antonio River Walk

Image of the River Walk with the Smith-Young Tower in the background.

"A strong sense of place appropriate to the region came out of the WPA [Works Progress Administration] project that employed only local people, used only local materials and responded only to the sensibility of local history and culture. We can only hope that the future of design along the river will recognize and respect those same regional influences."

--Sinclair Black, in The American Institute of Architects IA Journal, July 1979

[ History of the River Walk | River Walk Resources at the Alexander Archives | Links to Other Resources ]

History of the River Walk

A series of six major floods in San Antonio from 1914-1921, culminating with a flood on September 10, 1921 that covered areas of the downtown with up to ten feet of water and left fifty dead, led the city to study flood control measures. Early proposals included directing the San Antonio River through an underground culvert to create an area for development at ground level. However, public outcry over the loss of the river led to the implementation of less drastic measures to stabilize the river levels in 1929, inspiring a local architect, Robert H. H. Hugman, to conceive a new vision for the area, utilizing the river as the centerpiece.

Hugman envisioned a river-level flagstone walk along the meandering river that would pass by rows of shops and cafes combined with a pedestrian mall at street-level. He named this preliminary model for development ?The Shops of Aragon and Romula? to convey an image of ?Old Spain? in Central Texas. Civic groups quickly voiced support for this development during the summer and early fall of 1929, but the Black Friday stock market crash on October 29th shelved the project until it was revived by the Works Progress Administration in 1938. Hugman was hired in December of that year to prepare the architectural plans, including 17,000 square feet of walkways, 11,000 cubic yards of masonry, 3200 yards of concrete, 31 stairways, 3 dams, and numerous benches.

Construction on the River Beautification Project began in early 1939 under the supervision of Superintendent Robert Turk. Disputes over landscaping and local politics led to the firing of Hugman from the project on March 19, 1940. Work continued under Hugman?s replacement, local architect J. Fred Buenz, until the completion of the project on March 14, 1941.

The commercial development that Hugman envisioned was stunted by World War II, but a revitalization effort was begun in the 1960?s and the River Walk quickly flowered into the State of Texas? number one tourist attraction and the hub of San Antonio?s tourist industry. Robert H. H. Hugman was honored in 1984 by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) for his distinguished achievements. The AIA declared the River Walk as ?America?s Finest Example of Urban Design? in 1999.

Images courtesy of The University of Texas at Austin: bax02.19.084, bax02.19.059, bax02.19.060, bax02.19.061, and bax02.19.156

River Walk Resources at the Alexander Archives

River Walk holdings at the Alexander Architectural Archive (as of October 2, 2006)

Robert H. H. Hugman: An Inventory of his Drawings, 1938-1939: This record group contains 63 working drawings (1938-1939) showing Hugman's Plans for the Improvement of the San Antonio River (Paseo del Rio), Fourth Street South to Villita Street, San Antonio, Texas.

Ayres and Ayres collection: Robert Moss Ayres served on the River Walk Commission, 1962-1966 (Box 8, folder 1)

University of Texas at Austin, School of Architecture, Texas Architecture Archive: An Inventory of Student Measured Drawings, 1957-ongoing, and Student Reports, 1948-ongoing: Includes student reports on the River Walk.

O'Neil Ford: An Inventory of his Drawings, Papers, and Photographic Material, 1864-1993: Includes Ford's reference file on San Antonio River and River Walk, map, article and clippings, 1975-1982 (Box 74, folder 19), and 6 8x10" black and white photographic prints of the River Walk (no date), taken by Ford.

For holdings in other Texas repositories, search in the

Texas Archival Research Online