San Antonio Riverwalk Embassy Suites

Landscape Architecture by CFZ Group, LLC

The grotto is accessible through arched entrances cut from the ''Hugman wall,'' designed by Riverwalk architect Robert Hugman. A small stone paved plaza offers the cooling mists of the falls and views of the large boulders and tropical landscaping.

The design and construction of the Embassy Suites Hotel water feature and grotto were developed to establish a visual and physical connection from the hotel's atrium, restaurants and lounges to the San Antonio River.

The concept begins at the feature's headwaters in the lobby, welcoming visitors to the sounds of water that cascades into a meandering creek. Seating is throughout the area to allow people to relax and enjoy the waters, the light brown stonescape and tropical plantings.

The main water feature includes one continuous free-fall water feature, secondary channels and seep holes. The creek flows from the atruim under a stone bridge and terminates at a large waterfall. The falls drop 17 feet to the grotto at the Riverwalk level. Gathering areas nestled amongst large cypress trees, bamboo and ferns are located around the top of the falls. The water collects in the lower pool and drains into the San Antonio River.

The grotto is a small stone paved plaza surrounded by large boulders, waterfalls and tropical landscaping that offers a cooling enviroment during the hot San Antonio summers. This feature is accessible through an arched entrance created out of the ''Hugman wall,'' designed by Riverwalk architect Robert Hugman.

The water elements are controlled by two pumps in the underground parking garage behind the main waterfall. One pump circulates the interior water, and is adjustable to customize the water sounds in the atrium. The second pump controls the outside water features by recirculating the reuse water from the San Antonio River.

Roots of the Riverwalk - A Short History
The San Antonio River Walk comprises two parallel sidewalks below street level that wind along for 2.5-miles through downtown San Antonio.

Beginning in the early 1700s, the Spanish began building Roman Catholic missions along a river they called San Antonio. The Indians called it Yanaguana. As history would have it, the most noteworthy of the mission was San Antonio de Valero, what became known as the Alamo, Spanish for ''cottonwoods.'' The city, just as innumerable river settlements around the world, grew up around the river, and just like most river cities, the river would flood and cause havoc. A 1921 flood took the lives of 50 people.

There was talk about covering the river with concrete and converted it to a storm sewer! The San Antonio Conservation Society prevented that drastic action. A flood control program was begun instead, which included dams to control the river's flow.

Architect Robert Hugman, a native of San Antonio, submitted his flood-control/beautification plan for the city in 1929. It was the genesis of Riverwalk, although he called it the ''Shops of Aragon and Romula,'' names derived from Spanish towns. It wasn't until 1938, however, that funding became available for the project.

The money came from the New Deal's Works Progress Administration (WPA) program. Initial construction of Hugman's plans was by WPA workers who built 1.3 miles of walkways and 20 bridges. (WPA employed eight million unemployed men during its existence from 1935 to 1943. Talk about creating jobs and spurring the economy.)

Design Team
CFZ Group, LLC:
Cullen Coltrane, ASLA Principal-in Charge and Lead Designer
Groves and Associates:
Al Groves PE, Lead Engineer and Construction Administration
Effective Water Management:
Brian Downs, Irrigation Design

Construction Team
Keith Zars Pools, Project Contractor
Water Features of Texas, Water Feature Rock Work
Benny Alvarez, Paving and Wall Stone Work
Ground Control, Landscaping