Alamo Cenotaph inspection will require panels be removed

SAN ANTONIO (KTSA News) — The Alamo Cenotaph will undergo a much needed inspection this summer.

According to the Express-News, the top panels of the Cenotaph need to be removed so that engineers and stone specialists can do a visual inspection of the 56-foot-tall structure. The inspection will also reportedly include cameras dropped inside to get an idea of how the monument has aged since it was erected in 1936.

Officials reportedly told the Alamo Citizens Advisory Committee the memorial will not be moved from its current location at the north end of Alamo Plaza.

A controversial proposal was rejected in September 2020 that earmarked $450 million for the Alamo master plan that included the Cenotaph be relocated as well as restored. In April of last year, the Alamo Citizens Advisory Committee approved a plan to repair the Cenotaph and leave it in its current location.

Alamo officials assured the committee the Cenotaph would be treated with care over the course of the inspection, which is expected to last for two months. The inspection results will shape the repair plan by the city and the Alamo Trust.

The Alamo Long Barrack reopened in October after being closed in 2019 for preservation work.

The Express-News reports that a number of other projects are underway or set to begin soon.

Alamo project officials are reportedly nearly done with a yearlong study of moisture movement in the walls of the Alamo Church is near completion that has included preservation efforts to reinforce the historic walls at the complex.

Plaza de Valero, the pedestrian area south of Alamo Plaza, will see a redesign soon, with an exhibit planned to recreate the main gate of the mission-fort. This redesign includes work completed on East Crockett Street converting the roadway into a paved and landscape pedestrian area.

The historic Crockett and Woolworth buildings on the west side of Alamo Plaza will reportedly be converted into a 100,000 sq. ft. visitor center and museum. The museum has a planned opening for March 6, 2026, the 190th anniversary of the Battle of the Alamo.

Alamo Hall will soon be converted into an education center that will feature a classroom, studio and lecture space. The building includes a restored 1922 city fire station and adjoining 1950 former library. A new 24,000 sq. ft. Exhibition Hall and Collections Building is currently under construction and is expected to be done by the end of the year. It is located behind the Alamo Gift Shop.

 

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