Alamo Quarry Market

Alamo Quarry Market
Alamo Quarry Market, 2010
LocationSan Antonio, Texas, United States
Coordinates29°29′43″N 98°28′50″W / 29.495294°N 98.480526°W / 29.495294; -98.480526
Address255 E. Basse Road, San Antonio, Texas, 78209
Opened1997
Developer
  • Trammel Crow Central Texas Inc.
  • Alamo Cement Co.
OwnerAmerican Assets Inc.
ArchitectHodges and Associates
Stores60+
Floor area580,000 square feet (54,000 m2)
Floors1 (2 in Nordstrom Rack)
Parking3,369
Websitewww.quarrymarket.com

Alamo Quarry Market is a lifestyle center located in the Lincoln Heights neighborhood of north central San Antonio in the US state of Texas, near the cities of Alamo Heights and Terrell Hills. It was formerly a cement factory and quarry operated by Alamo Cement from 1908 to 1986, which later worked with Trammel Crow Central Texas to redevelop the property.

Alamo Quarry Market incorporated new and old factory buildings into its design, including three former industrial buildings and five smokestacks.[1] The complex features a Regal Cinema theater and several retailers and restaurants.

History

Alamo Cement

Alamo Quarry Market is located in the Lincoln Heights neighborhood of San Antonio,[2] between Basse Road and US Highway 281.[3] on the site of a former limestone quarry and cement factory, operated by Alamo Cement from 1908 to 1986.[4] Alamo Cement was chartered in 1880 to establish the first Portland cement plant west of the Mississippi, at what is now Brackenridge Park. Buildings that used Alamo cement in their construction include the Texas State Capitol and the Driskill Hotel. Once the site was exhausted,[5] the company moved its operations north to 500 acres (200 ha) outside the original city limits, at what is now the Alamo Quarry Market. More than 90 three-room cottages were constructed for workers and their families, becoming a community known as "Cementville". A Swiss company bought Alamo Cement in 1979, and the plant was moved in 1985, while the cottages were razed for luxury resident, retail, and golf-course development,[6][7] which became Lincoln Heights.[1]

Construction

The lifestyle center[8] was constructed by Trammell Crow Central Texas, which worked together with Alamo Cement to incorporate the shell of the former plant into the construction.[4] According to Trammel Crow managing director Bob Barnes, planning on the project began in 1994 and work began on September 1, 1996.[7] Barnes envisioned a project that would "address a need in San Antonio for a high-end development that combines traditional retailing, specialty retailing, and entertainment".[8]

A 54-acre (22 ha) site in the southeast corner of the property[9] was chosen for the 530,000-square-foot (49,000 m2) complex.[4] At the time, Alamo Quarry Market was twice the size of the nearby Lincoln Heights Shopping Center and had the same amount of retail space as Rivercenter Mall in downtown San Antonio. According to the San Antonio Express-News, real estate sources estimated its cost to be $50 million.[10] Original plans included 16 buildings and 60 tenants, including 10 restaurants, a movie theater, and a health club.[7] Trammell Crow conducted traffic planning, deciding on 11 entrance points, including three with stoplights,[11] and the complex opened with 3,369 parking spaces.[12]

The opening date for the complex was set for September 1997;[10] the first shops opened in late spring 1997.[13] By January 1998, 94% of stores had been leased, and 72% were open.[14] Major tenants included Borders, Bed, Bath and Beyond, OfficeMax,[13] and a two-story gym.[12] The first Restoration Hardware, Pottery Barn, and Whole Earth Provision in San Antonio signed on to Alamo Quarry Market.[15] Rents ranged from about $24 to $35 per square foot.[8]

Alamo Quarry Market was sold to the California State Teachers' Retirement System, a pension program, in 1997 for $89.6 million.[16][17] It was sold to San Diego-based real estate investment company American Assets in November 2003 for $121 million.[18]

Design

Alamo Quarry Market gate on Basse Road. There is a tractor in the foreground and smokestacks in the background.

According to the managing director for Trammell Crow, Alamo Cement maintained a "desire to preserve the history of this site – the smokestacks and some of the buildings",[4] similarly echoed by the city's historic preservation office.[9] Dallas-based architect Hodges and Associates incorporated historic buildings into the center,[7] including the shell of the former cement plant.[4] The framework of the former one-story clinker shed was preserved, and the building was converted into a glass-fronted, 14-screen Act III Theatres complex that occupied about 70,000 square feet (6,500 m2).[7][10][19][20] An arrangement of steel catwalks and stairs, serves as exits from the second-floor of the movie theater.[9] The factory's crusher building, with sloping industrial roofs, was renovated for the opening of Canyon Cafe,[19] and the generator building, which was demolished during site cleanup, was reconstructed from original plans for the restaurant L'Etoile.[7] The new constructions mirror the shed-form pediments and monitors used in the old structures, as well as the parapets constructed in the Mission Revival architectural style.[9]

The complex was designed to have a "rubble" look, with crumbled rocks decorated throughout the complex.[21] Natural-cut limestone trim was used for the buildings, and greenery was planted.[19] Old equipment used in factory operations was placed decoratively.[4] Rolling stock, including a steam locomotive and an ore car among others, was placed in traffic circles in the entrances and along sidewalks. Large half-gears were separated and used as decorative awnings. In the theater complex, a 300,000-pound (140,000 kg) diesel engine, produced by Nordberg Manufacturing Company, sits on a concrete pad above the concession stands,[9][20][22] illuminated by a light and smoke show at fifteen minute intervals.[22]

Delta Structural Technology was contracted to restore and preserve three of the five smokestacks from the cement factory, which were previously retrofitted with steel bands every 20 feet (6.1 m) from top to bottom. The stacks are approximately 204 feet (62 m) high, 18 feet (5.5 m) diameter at the base, and 15 feet (4.6 m) diameter at the top. The project received multiple awards within the concrete industry.[23] At the base of three smokestacks, the spigot openings display windows for a retailer.[9]

References

  1. 1 2 Driscoll, Patrick (January 14, 1998). "Commentary: Quarry Market good example of inner-city project". Sun - North Central. San Antonio Express-News. p. 4S – via NewsBank.
  2. ↑ Konstam, Patricia (January 18, 1996). "S.A. retail climate tagged as healthy". San Antonio Express-News – via NewsBank.
  3. ↑ Konstam, Patricia (January 20, 1996). "Developers target several Alamo Heights areas". San Antonio Express-News – via NewsBank.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Company gets creative with quarry mall". The Galveston Daily News. June 20, 1997. p. 13. Retrieved July 19, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ Kleiner, Diana (November 30, 2023). "History of Alamo Cement Company: From 1880 to Modern Times". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
  6. ↑ Huddleston, Scott (December 28, 2017). "'Cementville' preceded Quarry Market". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Vaughan, Vicki; Konstam, Patricia (June 7, 1996). "Cement plant's old life is recast - Shopping center set for noted landmark". San Antonio Express-News – via NewsBank.
  8. 1 2 3 Vaughan, Vicki (August 24, 1997). "No mall feat - Upscale shopping centers counter downside of big brothers". Business. San Antonio Express-News. p. 1H – via NewsBank.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Greenberg, Mike (February 15, 1998). "Deja vu design Alamo Quarry Market, intended to inspire strolling and shopping, founders in sea of asphalt". Life. San Antonio Express-News. p. 1H – via NewsBank.
  10. 1 2 3 Vaughan, Vicki (January 24, 1997). "Quarry center's on target - Upscale shops, movie theater among tenants". San Antonio Express-News – via NewsBank.
  11. ↑ "Shopping motto: Don't quarry, be happy Developer turns former San Antonio cement plant into upscale retail complex tinged with history and designed with authentic crumbled rocks". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. June 20, 1997. p. 3 – via NewsBank.
  12. 1 2 Dorsett, Amy (January 14, 1998). "Quarry mining for gold". Sun - Northeast. San Antonio Express-News. p. 1S – via NewsBank.
  13. 1 2 Vaughan, Vicki (November 6, 1997). "FOCUS: Quarry Alamo Quarry set for peak exposure in holiday season". Business. San Antonio Express-News. p. 1E – via NewsBank.
  14. ↑ Dorsett, Amy (January 14, 1998). "Quarry Market site dubbed 'great find' by developer". Sun - North Central. San Antonio Express-News. p. 7S – via NewsBank.
  15. ↑ Vaughan, Vicki (January 18, 1998). "Focus '98 - Part 1 of 3: High-end retailers bring sophisticated storefronts to S.A. 'Lifestyle centers' add spark to Alamo City shopping scene". Special. San Antonio Express-News. p. 13L – via NewsBank.
  16. ↑ Allen, Elizabeth (September 22, 2000). "Developer eyes land by Quarry". Business. San Antonio Express-News. p. 1E – via NewsBank.
  17. ↑ "Alamo Quarry Market for sale". Import. Laredo Morning Times. August 19, 2003 – via NewsBank.
  18. ↑ Pesquera, Adolfo (December 12, 2003). "Alamo Quarry Market is sold - San Diego-based real estate company buys it for $136 million". Business. San Antonio Express-News. p. 1D – via NewsBank.
  19. 1 2 3 Richelieu, David Anthony (July 20, 1997). "Quarry shows its backside to neighbors". Metro. San Antonio Express-News. p. 1B – via NewsBank.
  20. 1 2 Vargas, Daniel J (March 17, 1998). "Alamo Quarry Cinemas to give moviegoers a jolt to the senses". Life. San Antonio Express-News. p. 1E – via NewsBank.
  21. ↑ Shannon, Kelley (June 20, 1997). "Retail project builds on cement factory's past". Austin American-Statesman. p. D3 – via NewsBank.
  22. 1 2 Ratliff, Larry (March 20, 1998). "Past, future meet in Alamo Quarry". Weekender. San Antonio Express-News. p. 11H – via NewsBank.
  23. ↑ "Chimneys". Delta Structural Technology. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
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