HemisFair '68 captured the sights and sounds of the old world and the new in a setting of wonder, fantasy and entertainment. It was a six-month "fiesta" in honor of San Antonio's 250th anniversary.

Unfortunately, when the fair closed in October 1968, there was no comprehensive re-use plan for the site, and the grounds gradually deteriorated into a patchwork of parking lots and shabby temporary buildings sprinkled between the permanent structures that cont-inued to be in regular use.

As the years passed, many plans were proposed for the revitalization of the area, but none were approved until the early 1980's when city officials and private developers began talking seriously about improving the site.

The first phase of the project was to design a conceptual master plan based on the city's program to develop a major "Urban Water Park" that emphasizes the historic and modern influence the San Antonio River has had on the development of the area. Subsequently, the design team, working mainly out of our office, produced a more detailed master plan and construction documents to implement the goal of offering a wide range of activities to the people through a variety of water displays and multi-use open spaces.

The site presented many challenges. Hemisfair '68 consisted of a few permanent structures - Tower of the Americas, Convention Center Complex, Performing Arts Theater, U.S. Pavilion, Texas Pavilion & River Walk Extension, and some historic buildings surrounded by many temporary facilities. Record drawings for many of the buildings and their utility services were found to be incomplete or non-existent. These unknowns led to countless revisions during the design process and an endless stream of surprises during construction.

Large elevated walkways had moved masses of people about the fairgrounds but only served as physical and visual barriers in the new master plan. All but a few of these were removed. Those that remained were used to house underground pump rooms for the fountain complex and for office and storage facilities for the on-site park maintenance staff.

Today, the centerpiece of the park improvement plan is the fountain complex, a series of displays that wraps 270 degrees around the Tower of the Americas, enclosing a broad, circular, tree-lined plaza at the base of the tower. Eight displays in the complex present water in a wide variety of effects, including serene pools, a gentle gurgling stream, rocky rapids, bubbling ponds, stair-stepped cascades, crashing waterfalls and gracefully arching jets.

One of the displays was originally conceived as a way to preserve and reuse a portion of the overhead walkway that was scheduled for removal. Due to potential weakening during demolition, the old structure had to be raised and new elements built. What resulted is a series of concrete columns and overhead beams referred to as the "beam fountain," where water sprays from above, particularly over a lagoon and partially over a brick and stone courtyard where visitors can cool themselves on hot summer days. It is very popular with kids who love to dash through the sparkling water curtains, and adults have frequently been seen "showering" on hot, South Texas summer afternoons.

A series of meandering ramps was included in the design to provide handicapped access between fountain levels and allow pedestrians to closely interact with the water and lush plantings interspersed throughout the complex. At upper levels, several outlooks seem to hover above water cascades and offer panoramic views of the fountains, the park's central green space, and the city's skyline beyond.

At the lower Tower Plaza level, a base pool provides over one million gallons of reservoir for fountain effects. On both ends of the fountain complex, this pool makes a transition first to canals, then to broad lagoons, one of which forms a placid reflecting pool at the Mexican National University, while the other end contains the boisterous "crescent fountain" whose adjustable jets throw graceful arcs of water high into the air above Bowie Street.

A series of concrete paver walkways fan out from the Tower Plaza/fountain complex to provide easy access for pedestrians and maintenance vehicles. A broad walk and formal allee of cedar elms leads west toward South Alamo Street, and a cluster of one- and two-story historic stone structures that will house the proposed German Heritage Park on the west edge of the site. Less formal, curving paths flow to the north, recreating a former street intersection as they pass a group of three tiny historic buildings and connect Bowie Street to the HemisFair parking garage. A third walk penetrates the center of the fountain complex, passing beneath an ornate metal pedestrian bridge toward the Institute of Texan Cultures (the former Texas Pavilion) and the University of Texas at San Antonio property.

Today, HemisFair Park has achieved the city's original goal to provide a "central park" for San Antonio. This urban water park provides a cooling, green oasis adjacent to the convention center complex and within walking distance of the River Walk, the downtown shopping area, and the newly completed Alamodome. The new Urban Water Park opened on April 6, 1988, the 20th anniversary of the opening of HemisFair '68. LASN