UTSA Institute of Texan Cultures 801 E. César E. Chávez Blvd., (210) 458-2300, texancultures.utsa.edu First opened as the Texas State Exhibits Pavilion during Hemisfair ‘68, the Institute of Texan Cultures now operates as a museum under the wing of the University of Texas at San Antonio. Through exhibits, events and outreach programs, the Institute of Texan Cultures celebrates the various peoples from around the world that have made their home in the Lone Star State. Credit: Wikimedia Commons / Michael Barera

Plans to build a new stadium for the San Antonio Spurs downtown at Hemisfair are on hold after the Texas Historical Commission on Friday designated the aging Institute of Texan Cultures (ITC) a state antiquities landmark.

The designation means the University of Texas at San Antonio, the owners of the 18,000-square-foot building, must consult the commission before making any changes, including tearing down to make way for an arena.

The land where the ITC sits is rumored to be the future site of a new Spurs arena. In February, the University of Texas Board of Regents gave the City of San Antonio the exclusive option to buy or lease the 13.5-acre downtown property.

Although the board hadn’t publicly discussed the details of that vote, the agenda for the February meeting said that transaction was for a “potential downtown revitalization project,” leading many to believe the land could be the future site for a new Spurs arena.

However, the city’s plans — which remain vague due to a slew of non-disclosure agreements — could be on hold after the site’s designation as a state antiquities landmark.

The building formerly occupied by the ITC was built for San Antonio’s 1968 World’s Fair. The brutalist pavilion initially housed the “Texas Pavilion” which showcased the state’s diverse cultures and heritage.

The building has since housed UTSA’s ITC. However, attendance at the museum has dwindled in recent years, and the building is in need of $74 million in repairs, according to the Express-News.

Due to the needed upgrades, UTSA closed the ITC in May, with plans to temporarily relocate its collection into a display inside Frost Bank Tower.

Despite the needed repairs and ITC’s relocation, members of the Texas Historical Commission maintained during Friday’s meeting that the aging building isn’t going anywhere, the daily reports.

“Everybody likes a fair fight, and I don’t think we’re in one … we stand of Texas history, we don’t stand for the University of Texas or any of its affiliates,” one commissioner said. “We don’t fold like tacos. We fight.”

Another commissioner was quoted by the Express-News as saying the building shouldn’t be razed for a “damn basketball arena.”

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This article appears in Oct 16-29, 2024.

Michael Karlis is a multimedia journalist at the San Antonio Current, whose coverage in print and on social media focuses on local and state politics. He is a graduate of American University in Washington,...