Brackenridge Park Sunken Garden Theater renovation not moving forward
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The Sunken Garden Theater needs repairs. Photo: Megan Stringer/Axios
Longtime River Road resident Blanquita Sullivan grew up attending Shakespeare in the Park events at the Sunken Garden Theater. Now, she hardly goes there outside of Fiesta.
Why it matters: Sullivan was one of many who successfully pushed back against a $62 million plan to remake the Brackenridge Park theater into a modern concert venue.
The latest: The plan as proposed in September 2021, which would have been funded through a mix of public and private dollars, will not happen, Chris Maitre, the new Brackenridge Park Conservancy CEO, tells Axios.
- Instead, Maitre wants to gradually bring the theater back into regular use. The conservancy is planning a December fundraising concert.
- The more people use the theater again, the more the conservancy can gather public input on how the space should look, Maitre says.
- He expects some level of renovation eventually — but not a complete multimillion-dollar redo all at once.
- "We should have solicited public input," Maitre says.
What they're saying: "There's a lot of great assets in this park that are underdeveloped" or haven't been maintained, Maitre says. "And if you look at Sunken Garden Theater today, it needs some help to be able to celebrate it like it used to be celebrated."
- Sullivan is relieved. She and other neighbors in River Road, adjacent to the park, are concerned about traffic, noise and access — both to their homes and the park.
Catch up quick: The initial plan would have grown capacity to around 7,000 people, per KSAT — up from around 4,800.
- Designs included an expanded venue entrance and box office, a VIP lounge and much more.
- Officials hoped it would attract more top musical acts to San Antonio.
Concerns over the theater renovation reflect larger worries at play in the park at a time when the vision for its future is hotly debated.
- Sullivan and others say they want to see some free, low-cost community events at the theater.
- Although Sullivan is not wholly against any paid acts, she would like to see the theater treated as more of a historic community asset that maintained public access.
"It's just a very sacred and special place, and it needs to be treated with a lot of care and respect," Sullivan tells Axios.
The big picture: Sunken Garden Theater was originally carved into an old limestone quarry in 1930 and housed performances for the San Antonio Civic Opera Society, per the city.
- The last major renovation of the theater cost $320,000 and was completed in 1984.
Zoom out: Many neighbors who were against the original plan do want to see upgrades and maintenance there.
The bottom line: "You don't get a lot of chances to get these things right," Sullivan says.
- She's now hopeful the conservancy can do so, but community members will be closely watching any future moves to update Sunken Garden Theater.
Editor's note: This article is part of a series about the challenges facing Brackenridge Park.
- Keep reading: What's next for future projects in Brackenridge Park
- Read the previous article: Pushing for Native American representation at Brackenridge Park