Owner of San Antonio’s Moses Rose’s agrees to sale, making way for Alamo project

The standoff over Moses Rose’s Hideout is over.

After a lengthy and acerbic public dispute, the owner of downtown San Antonio bar Moses Rose’s has struck a deal to sell the property, situated in the footprint of the planned $400 million Alamo Visitor Center and Museum. State and city officials, along with an attorney representing the tavern’s owner, sent out separate statements Thursday morning confirming the deal. None included the purchase price.

The Alamo Trust, which manages the historic mission, said in its statement that a “successful mediation and agreement” ended ongoing efforts to force a sale of the bar through eminent domain. An official with the Texas General Land Office declined to reveal terms of the contract, saying the Current would need to file a freedom of information request, which the paper did.

Moses Rose’s owner Vince Cantu has agreed to vacate the property by Aug. 15, which will allow plans for the museum to stay on track for a 2027 opening, according to the Alamo Trust.

“This agreement paves the way for the future of the historic Alamo,” Mayor Ron Nirenberg said in the city’s press release. “Every year, hundreds of thousands of people visit the Alamo to learn more about the deep-rooted history and culture of San Antonio. In just a few years, our visitors will enjoy a state-of-the-art Alamo Visitor Center and Museum. We invite the world to learn why San Antonio’s World Heritage designation includes the historic Alamo.”

The city’s last proposed buyout bid for the property, made in April, was for $5.26 million. Cantu rejected that offer like he had others before it, arguing that the city and state were lowballing the value of his property.

In a statement on the sales agreement, Cantu attorney L. Dan Eldredge Jr. praised supporters of the bar for standing up for “private property rights on the historic Alamo Battlefield” and couched the deal as a victory that avoided the bar owner losing property under eminent domain.

Eldridge also said that if any artifacts are unearthed during the demolition of the building or construction of the new center, the state will acknowledge “using museum labels” that it came from property sold by Cantu’s family business.

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This article appears in Jul 26 – Aug 8, 2023.