Before a new terminal can be built at the San Antonio International Airport, officials say some existing structures must be razed, and at least one is historic.
On Friday, the Historic and Design Review Commission (HDRC) approved the new terminal plans, the largest piece of the multi-project, $2.5 billion airport strategic development plan approved by City Council in November 2021.
Their approval came after a lengthy back-and-forth with aviation officials, architects and engineers over how the airport layout could be revised to avoid demolishing Building 1322, a distinctive 1960s-era structure that serves as the Badge ID building at the airport.
“The commission doesn’t want the building to go away,” commissioner Maurice Gibbs said. “We want to see if there is some possible way, some way, shape or form that either the building can be saved or elements can be saved.”
A final vote by the commission allowed the terminal project to move forward with the stipulation that, if salvaging and reusing building materials from the demolished building isn’t possible, then the new pedestrian walkway shall include design elements mimicking the structure.
Textured experience
Last year, an evaluation committee chose Colorado-based construction firm Hensel Phelps to plan, oversee and build the $1 billion terminal.
Because it’s city property, a certificate of appropriateness is required at this stage of planning the terminal, according to a city spokeswoman.
The Office of Historic Preservation has been been collaborating with the aviation department on the project as it did on the ground loading facility now under construction. HDRC provides feedback on the early design plans and also on proposed demolitions.
In the request is a description of the proposed 800,000-square-foot terminal, with three levels and enough space for 18 gates and connectors to terminals A and B.
The first level is designed with a paseo landscape concept, “a highly textured experience with deep colors and tones,” according to the documents. The second level, a more refined space, is where departing travelers pass through a space with ample natural light and artwork that reflects the local area.
As travelers pass through security, the design changes to a “colorful, energized collection of spaces,” the documents say. The third level, or terrace, has a light and airy feel.
“In this particular terminal, one of the things that we are accommodating is the growth of transatlantic flight, which just started here at San Antonio, which requires accommodating a larger aircraft,” said lead architect on the project, John Trupiano, principal with Corgan.
But the terminal project is a program made up of more than just one new building, the airport’s Deputy Aviation Director Tim O’Krongley said.
The new facility will require an expanded central utility plant and other infrastructure that takes up added space on airport grounds.
The Badge ID building is situated near a utility easement and also in the path of curbside roadway improvements necessary to support the new terminal, an airline waste triturator, and near the space where a proposed new parking structure would be built.
“It’s not just a terminal, there are a lot of components that are included in here,” said David Full, vice president of aviation at RS&H engineering firm.
That is why the request for conceptual approval also includes a list of seven existing buildings that are standing in the way of the new terminal.
New formalism
Most are nondescript 1950s, ‘70s and ‘80s-era buildings and hangars. But Building 1322 is more architecturally distinct and is deemed eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.
Built in 1965, the badging ID office building was designed by architect Clarence Mayhew in the “new formalism” style. It was originally built for transportation-related services for private aircraft.
In March, the Texas Historical Commission (THC) reviewed the building as required by the Federal Aviation Administration and section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act process.
The state agency found it met the requirements for the National Register due to its architectural significance as an example of new formalism with Japanese-inspired influences. THC found the other buildings did not have any historic significance.
The Conservation Society of San Antonio registered its opposition to razing Building 1322.
“The mid-century modern structure features an exquisitely designed wave-like folded plate roof,” the group stated in a letter to the HDRC. “The small size of the structure and its location away from the proposed terminal and gates suggest it would not be difficult to incorporate it into the design.”
Three options for the building were evaluated, including incorporating the building into new construction, relocating or razing it, according to the documents prepared by the aviation department.
“What makes this difficult is that building was actually cast in place,” Full said. Moving it would cost at least an estimated $14.2 million and could affect its structural integrity, he added.
HDRC members examined the proposed layout with the new terminal and questioned why certain elements couldn’t be relocated or adjusted so the building could remain in place.
Commissioner Jeffrey Fetzer said it seemed unfortunate to demolish a building for the sake of a roadway and service vehicles.
“Not to belittle or diminish what study has been done here, but I would think that, with some more study, the service road could be reconfigured,” he said. Commissioners also posed other reshuffling ideas that the designer said might not be feasible.
The layout calls for “remain overnight” aircraft parking near the terminal, with spacing requirements regulated by the FAA, and a much-needed ground transportation center that is limited in height by the needs of the air traffic control tower.
“Going up higher is always an opportunity for us … but we still need that ground-floor footprint to accommodate the demand of all of the commercial traffic that we anticipate for this development,” Trupiano said.
Commissioner Monica Savino said she agrees the new terminal is “a good move for the region overall,” but that preserving a piece of San Antonio’s aviation history, especially such a comparatively small structure, is worth doing.
O’Krongley said demolition wasn’t their first choice of all the options, but given the constraints, they came up with certain “mitigation measures.”
Before the building is demolished, the aviation department plans to document the structure using Historic American Building Survey level 1 standards, collect archival photos and drawings, create a written report detailing its history and physical description.
It will prepare an entry for the Texas State Historical Association’s Handbook of Texas.
In addition, materials will be salvaged for reuse where possible, and the unique design elements from Building 1322, including the Y columns and curvilinear roof form, could be incorporated into a new pedestrian walkway.
The terminal is expected to be built by 2028.
Construction on the 37,000-square-foot ground load facility is underway with a completion date set for mid-2025. Work on the airport’s runway system to improve safety, capacity and infrastructure is also ongoing.
