The Alamo Trust on Friday officially unveiled the Alamo’s new pedestrian welcoming area, statue-lined walkway welcoming visitors to the historic battleground.
The Alamo Promenade is designed to create a sense of arrival as visitors approach the historic site from Commerce Street downtown. Statues honoring key historical figures lead toward the nearby Briscoe Western Art Museum, and shaded seating areas line the way.
The statues depict future Texas President Sam Houston, Texas Declaration of Independence signer José Antonio Navarro and Alamo couriers Juan Seguin and John W. Smith.
“Step by step, building by building, we are preserving, restoring, and enhancing these hallowed grounds of the Alamo,” Alamo Trust President and CEO Hope Andrade said at Friday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony. “That’s why we developed the $550 million Alamo Plan — to transform, elevate, and deepen the visitor experience.
Friday’s event also marked the culmination of the Alamo Statewide Stampede, a competition among Texas counties to raise money for the Spanish Mission and battleground. The fundraiser pulled in a total of $2.8 million with Bexar County residents kicking in the largest total. Coastal Kenedy County, which has just 350 residents, raised the most per capita.
The Alamo Promenade’s christening is the first major event since prior Alamo Trust CEO Kate Rogers resigned last month under pressure from Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who targeted her for opinions she expressed in her grad-school dissertation. She has since sued Patrick and others, arguing they trampled her first-amendment rights and forced her out without cause.
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