The Witte Museum opened 100 years ago today, on October 8, 1926. Over the decades that followed, it hosted generations of curious San Antonians on school field trips or just looking to beat the summer heat. But its history has a few hidden gems of its own — and the museum is celebrating its 100th birthday with “the party of the century.” Here’s what to know.
It’s not every day you turn 100. The Witte is celebrating in style, kicking off on its exact anniversary with remarks from community leaders and a chorus of “Happy Birthday” from local children. On Saturday, October 10, comes the “party of the century.” From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the museum is opening its doors with children’s admission prices for everyone, live music, activities, animal encounters, interactive art, face painting, local vendors, food and more. After hours, a 21+ bash rages from 6 to 10 p.m. with performances by DJ Catwalk (who you may have seen spinning tunes at Spurs games last season) and popular indie group Saint Motel. Tickets start at $50.
1. The Witte Museum’s first exhibit was a collection of wildlife specimens in dioramas created by the students of founder Ellen Schulz Quillin, who was a school teacher. These are on display as part of the centennial celebration.
2. It used to also be an art museum. The Witte and the San Antonio Museum of Art (which grew out of the Witte but opened in its own location in 1981) operated under the San Antonio Museum Association until they officially split in 1994.
3. The museum’s centennial exhibit showcases a fake canary jewel, a replica of the 49.73-carat McFarlin Diamond, which was stolen in broad daylight during the 1968 Hemisfair. Though the heist made national news, the jewel was never found.
4. The museum you visit now is considered the “New Witte” after a $120 million, 170,000-square-foot renovation and expansion wrapped up in 2017.
5. Traveling exhibits commonly stop at the Witte, including one that brought real human specimens to the museum in 2015. You won’t find that there today, but you can still see tons of preserved animal specimens in the museum’s permanent collection.
6. George Strait narrates an immersive walk-through called the Sounds of South Texas, inside the McLean Family Texas Wild Gallery. The gallery features real animal specimens of Texas’ major regions in a massive natural history display.
7. It even has cave art. Well, sort of. The People of the Pecos gallery features a light projection of the White Shaman mural, an approximately 4,000-year-old rock painting in West Texas that Witte stewards.
8. General admission is free from 3 to 6 p.m. every Tuesday for Bexar County residents.
Find it: 3801 Broadway, San Antonio, TX 78209
