The San Antonio Conservation Society is planning on filing a lawsuit to prevent the demolition of the former Institute of Texan Cultures — a key piece of real estate for Project Marvel.
The San Antonio Conservation Society is planning on filing a lawsuit to prevent the demolition of the former Institute of Texan Cultures building — a key piece of real estate for Project Marvel, according to a media report.
The San Antonio Business Journal reported on the pending lawsuit on Wednesday.
Last year, the University of Texas at San Antonio received the OK to tear down the downtown ITC building and move it to a temporary home in late 2025.
The university was cleared to do so after the Texas Historical Commission granted UTSA a demolition permit to allow redevelopment plans of its Hemisfair campus, according to a release from UTSA.
The City of San Antonio already has an exclusive option to purchase or lease the ITC and the approximately 13.59 acres that it sits on in the Hemisfair campus, conditionally granted by the UT System Board of Regents.
Those 13.59 acres are widely believed to be meant for the multi-billion dollar district the city has been secretly planning, dubbed “Project Marvel.”
City Manager Erik Walsh received the green light to initiate negotiations with Bexar County and the San Antonio Spurs for the billion-dollar sports and entertainment district in February.
The approval means Walsh can negotiate and execute a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Bexar County and the Spurs related to future talks related to “Project Marvel,” an agenda memorandum stated.
BACKGROUND
The new San Antonio Spurs arena could cost $1.2 billion to $1.5 billion, according to a city estimate, but there is still no breakdown of how it will be paid for.
The city has estimated costs for about half the projects in its vision for “Project Marvel,” including the arena.
The combined price tag currently exceeds $2.75 billion, though the final cost will likely be higher, since several of the listed projects don’t even have cost projections: a “revised” plan for the Alamodome, a new land bridge across IH-37, the acquisition of a former federal courthouse, and the related infrastructure needed to support the district.
City staff have laid out possible funding sources, both public and private, for each portion of the project. However, the exact breakdowns — especially for projects drawing money from multiple places — remain unclear.
The city and Spurs began quietly discussing a downtown move in early 2023, though the city did not unveil its “Project Marvel” plans until November 2024.
This is a developing story. It will be updated as more information becomes available.
Read more:
- UTSA gets OK from state to demolish Institute of Texan Cultures
- San Antonio voters split on Project Marvel, funding Spurs arena with venue tax
- Feds put office building in Hemisfair up for sale amid sports district plans
