Mona Lowe
At The Center of Houston
Street Redevelopment

By Leigh Baldwin
Photography Paul Lara

Mona Lowe has a resume befitting a visionary. A native San Antonian, she grew up in Monte Vista, and remembers shopping at the downtown Frost Bros. store as a little girl. A literature degree from UTSA led to a stint in Greenwich Village managing a new wave rock band and founding an arts organization. Some time in Europe taught Lowe how to live modern life with village style. Upon returning to San Antonio, a life-long interest in the study of consciousness led her to the Mind Science Foundation, where she currently serves as a board member. Lowe is also a multi-media artist with her finger on the pulse of San Antonio’s contemporary arts scene, which she calls a “fountain of little known talent.”

And yet, Lowe also happens to be president of Reata Property Management, a San Antonio commercial portfolio that’s topped 3 million square feet in just five years (according to a recent profile by Forbes magazine). According to Lowe, it’s playing against type that’s the secret to her success.

After forming Reata in 2001 with four fellow former Trammell Crow employees, their first project was the Alamo Quarry development. Creating a major high-end retail, dining and entertainment center -- that has become a destination for both local and regional visitors –– from a pit surrounded by a chain link fence caught the notice of Federal Realty, a major commercial property owner in San Antonio’s city center.

To turn a handful of properties along historic Houston Street into something similar – a cohesive, branded destination - Federal needed more than just a typical property manager. Lowe and her Reata partners fell in love with the challenge and never looked back. Lowe credits the partnership with Federal to her dual approach to real estate, as both a businesswoman and artist. Interweaving cultural expression, community spirit and creative energy into their versatile management style is a viewpoint Reata actively supports and embodies.

But Lowe is also quick to acknowledge what she jokingly refers to as the downtown “posse” – other major players in urban redevelopment such as Epstein and Associates architects, Parsons (formerly 3D/I) and the city government. In her view, this contagious enthusiasm for downtown projects means “the stars are lining up,” fortunately, since the city cannot possibly reinvent itself as an urban culture without a larger creative vision covering every possible angle.

In keeping with her artistic background, Lowe says she feels “curatorial” about the Houston Street redevelopment. Chalk It Up was the first event she really launched, knowing that a free, family-oriented, participatory event that showcased local artists would be a winner on any level. Working with downtown’s ArtPace, the event draws hundreds of visitors annually to large public murals on Houston Street.

Lowe has also worked with ArtPace to exhibit art work in the windows of the Stewart building, a property REATA manages, and to bring the international art installation sensation known as “Cow Parade” to San Antonio in 2002.

The Houston Street Fair and Market, a project Mayor Phil Hardberger has described as “truly a signature event for downtown,” is the latest in a series of successful initiatives. With free parking, arts vendors, fresh farm produce, pet adoptions, live music and a special changing theme every month, the phenomenon is accessible to everyone.  Since October 2005, each month’s crowd has grown. It’s Lowe’s feeling that the success of Houston Street Fair and Market shows “the city is reaching a new level of cooperation and city selfhood” – positive signs for future urban revitalization.

At a recent lunch at the Majestic Club, a venue properly overlooking her Houston Street terrain, Lowe outlined her thoughts on the city’s growth.

What Houston Street really needs, says Lowe, is more thriving local retail businesses. Solvent, confident, stable development is happening and increasing downtown, but she’d like to see more San Antonio entrepreneurs, like artist and new gallery owner Peter Zubiate, set up shop in the city center.

In ten years time, Lowe envisions downtown as much more residential. What she terms “reverse pioneers” – young people from other cities or the suburbs coming into downtown seeking creative energy and community vibrancy – will dominate the residential and professional downtown scene. “San Antonio’s urban cultural level will increase because the citizens will expect it. The example already set by Houston Street Fair, galleries opening, ArtPace … even the Best of Downtown Alliance awards set standards and get attention.”

She’d also like to see the city’s parking problem addressed by more streamlined transportation – an inner-city circuit for trolleys or buses that can get residents from work to play to home without needing car – and an overall more pedestrian feel.

What about the opposite tug, all the growth and build-up along Loop 1604 and beyond? Does the investment there have a negative impact on downtown? Or does it create a “target” affect, with an inner and outer red band of development and a wasteland of white in the middle? Lowe replies that rather than being compartmentalized, the city is evolving into a cohesive collection of neighborhoods. When downtown institutions like Swig or Azuca create new ventures on the North Loop, Lowe says “it’s like they are taking cuttings from the heart of the city and transplanting them to a new environment. These satellites help shape people’s perceptions of downtown, and hopefully, encourage them to set outside their usual boundaries.” Spoken like a true visionary.