by Adolfo Pesquera
San Antonio (Bexar Co.) – Silver Ventures anticipates receiving conceptual approval Wednesday for office buildings of 10 stories and six stories that will be accompanied by a multilevel parking garage.
The project is coming before the Historic and Design Revew Commission for approval as a consent agenda item. However, given the scale of the project, it may be moved as a “for consideration” item to allow for questions.
This expansion of the Pearl Brewery complex is in addition to the Brewery South Apartments that came up for HDRC review two weeks ago.
Silver Ventures is locating these two office towers at the southeast corner of Broadway and Pearl Parkway, with the towers facing Broadway and with an address of 1801 Broadway. The working title of the project is Broadway at Pearl Parkway.
The project takes up the entire area of a 3.127-acre city block that is bounded by Avenue B and Avenue B Extension to the west, Grayson to the north, Broadway to the east, and Pearl Parkway.
The project will be across the street from 1800 Broadway, a recently constructed block-long, four-story apartment community that is an example of new development spurred by the Pearl Brewery complex. It is also directly south (across East Grayson Street) from The Mosaic on Broadway, (1915 Broadway)–yet another modern urban mixed-use midrise project that capitalized on The Pearl. However, the two towers now planned would be the tallest in the neighborhood and it significantly adds critical mass to the Broadway revival.
The 10-story building will feature 221,000 square feet of office space and have a height of 168 feet. The six-story building will have 123,000 square feet of office space and have a height of 108 square feet. The parking garage will have a height of 44 feet and accommodate about 950 automobiles.
According to the Pearl Office Development concept narrative, “The primary architectural objective is to introduce a San Antonio architectural vocabulary to Midtown Broadway and establish a strong pedestrian link between the Broadway corridor and Pearl. The ground floor would be animated with a plaza, and other public, green spaces as well as commercial spaces that will energize the pedestrian streetscape.
“The intersection of Broadway and Pearl Parkway lies in the valley between Alfred Giles late 19th century work at Fort Sam Houston and Pearl’s Victorian and Second Empire brewery architecture. Buff bruck, Texas limestone, concrete, steel and zinc are the materials that wed the two campuses and make them uniquely San Antonio.”
Houston-based Kirksey Architecture is the project designer.
The Design Review Committee of the HDRC looked at this application on Nov. 9, and requested that Silver Ventures provide more visual context as to the new structures in relation to historic brew house, also that ” the proposed ornamental capital (of the 10-story) should be well refined, and that the street level facades should emphasize a pedestrian scale,” the Office of Historic Preservation stated in its HDRC report.
“The applicant has proposed for both structures to feature a terminating cap. The southern structure features a decorative crowned cupola referencing the German brewing architecture while the northern tower will feature a banding cap,” the OHP said.
Silver Ventures proposes a curb cut on Avenue B to allow access to the parking structure. The garage will be clad with D’Hanis brick, salvaged steel windows and concrete window sills.
Pedestrian access to the buildings will be along Broadway, Avenue B and Pearl Parkway. The developer proposes an outdoor patio and seating space at street level. The site plan denotes locations for fountains, outdoor gardens, the outdoor plaza and seating, as well as a green wall.
There are three small commercial buildings on the block that must be removed and are eligible for demolition.
More from Pearl Office Development:
South Tower: A ten story (168’) structure with approximately 221,000 square feet anchors the development and is set back from Broadway to create an urban plaza at the Pearl Parkway intersection. A loggia recessed into the plinth establishes a pedestrian link to Pearl and will shade restaurants and commercial spaces along the base of the building. The building will be constructed of buff colored brick with coarse mortar and decorative tile inlay. Forged iron light fixtures and signage supports also speak to the local artisan vernacular and offer pedestrian delights.
The main body of the structure is also masonry. Zinc finished spandrels have panels aligned with windows that are set deeply within large masonry openings supported by exposed steel columns and I-beams. The structure has a zinc finished cornice and the façade is crowned with a cupola referencing the German brewery architecture and announcing its entrance on Broadway.
South Tower, south elevation as seen across Pearl Parkway.
North Tower: Six story (108’) structure has 123,000 square feet and is more austere in the tradition of southern masonry warehouses and reflects the industrial nature of other adjacent properties. A deep portal announces the main entry on Broadway. A series of arcades cross commercial spaces and landscape elements offer and encourage leisurely activities, extending the pedestrian streetscape across the site. The North Tower plinth, although more industrial in character, speaks to the South Tower in proportions and materials. The tower body consists of masonry, with concrete columns and cantilevered slabs, supporting the building and shading the recessed industrial windows.
Parking Garage: A D’Hanis brick structure housing (and largely concealing) approximately 950 cars (1 level below grade level, 44’ above grade) is essentially a utilitarian car warehouse. Salvaged steel windows with steel lintels and concrete sills further reinforce this vocabulary. On the Broadway side, the building is set beyond a small, landscaped courtyard with a reflecting pool. This pool court will serve as an entry point from the garage and could be anchored by a small limestone building containing a contemplative base. Salvaged Pearl tanks would be placed at the garage entrances and used to capture water for reuse at the site in a similar manner as other repurposed tanks at Pearl.
The east elevations of Broadway at Pearl Parkway (buildings center and right) as seen from across Broadway, with the Pearl Brewery complex in the background (left).
adolfo@virtualbx.com
