A Photographic Test Of Your
Downtown Knowledge
How Many Do You Know?

Story and Photography By ALEX GILFORD

Hotels, condos, offices, entertainment venues, restaurants and retail establishments have popped up, or
are currently popping up, all over downtown San Antonio. The center city hasn’t experienced growth of this magnitude in decades. Cranes, scaffolding and folks wearing hard hats dot the landscape. It is an exciting time.

Many existing structures have been painstakingly renovated for creative reuse, while a substantial number of new buildings have also been added to the downtown inventory. Even more of both project types are on the way, with no end in sight. Momentum is definitely on our side.

With this exhilarating revitalization comes the perfect opportunity to test your knowledge of the downtown sector. Simply take the challenge posed by the 20 photographs surrounding this article. They form a potpourri of things old, new and even blue (hint: Indigo). Identify as many as you can and see how your score stacks up! Here’s the scoring breakdown:

16-20 Correct Answers: You Are A Downtown Genius.

11-15 Correct Answers: You Are A Budding Downtown Genius.

6-10 Correct Answers: You Are Most Likely A Person Who Doesn’t Visit Downtown Often.

1-5 Correct Answers: You Are Probably A Citizen Of Another City.

ANSWERS
1. A portion of the Aztec Theatre marquee on St. Mary’s at Commerce

2. City of San Antonio parking garage at St. Mary’s and Travis behind the Sheraton Gunter Hotel

3. Church Bistro & Theatre on South Alamo in Southtown

4. Charles Court on Presa between Commerce and Market

5. Nix Hospital on Navarro at the River Walk 6. Courtyard at Pat O’Brien’s on Alamo Plaza

7. Booth at Iron Cactus Mexican Grill & Margarita Bar below the Aztec Theatre on the River Walk

8. Top of the neon sign at Azuca Nuevo Latino on South Alamo in Southtown

9. Texas Theatre box office on Houston Street at the AT&T corporate headquarters building

10. Fountain in Maury Maverick Plaza at La Villita on South Alamo

11. The Dullnig Building, home of Riverwalk Vistas Boutique Hotel, on Losoya at Commerce

12. St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, surrounded on three sides by Dillard’s Rivercenter, on Commerce near Alamo Plaza

13.Walkway at La Mansion Del Rio Hotel on College Street behind the Majestic Theatre

14. The lobby of the St. Anthony Hotel on Travis Street across from Travis Park

15. Roofline of the Gibbs Building (soon to become Hotel Indigo) at Houston Street and Alamo Plaza

16. Front of the Buckhorn Museum on Houston Street at Presa

17. Bicycle repair shop at Blue Star Brewing Company (foreground) and Jump Start Performance Co. (background), both at the Blue Star Complex in Southtown

18. Houston Street Bistro between the Majestic and Empire Theatres

19. Atrium of Hotel Contessa at Navarro and Market

20. La Margarita Restaurant & Oyster Bar on Produce Row in Market Square