What’s new for Brackenridge Park 

We want to make sure that the public is aware of next steps for Brackenridge Park and that the conservancy is here to:

  1. Heal Brackenridge Park’s ecology
  2. Protect and celebrate the park’s many layers of historic significance and cultural diversity
  3. Elevate the park’s identity locally and nationally
  4. Usher the park into the 21st century

Brackenridge Park Conservancy (BPC) is co-chairing with the City of San Antonio (COSA) a community planning effort to reconcile plans for the park.  Brackenridge is the backyard for all San Antonians. We want to ensure that it is honored for generations to come. 

UPDATE:

In May 2023, City Council approved funding from the Midtown TIRZ to support a new community planning effort for Brackenridge Park. In June 2023, City Manager Erik Walsh reconvened the Brackenridge Park Stakeholder Advisory Committee and expanded the membership to broaden community input in the reconciliation process. 

As shared by COSA, community stakeholders will review the following plans that were developed in partnership with the community:

COSA notes that the result will be a Reconciled Project Inventory for Brackenridge Park. This new plan will consolidate the goals and objectives outlined in the plans above. It will also provide an inventory of projects recommended for prioritization. 

Meeting Information:

More information and next steps can be found on COSA’s website. 

Where does BPC stand on what should be done next? 

The Cultural Landscape Report (CLR) is our north star. Brackenridge Park is in decline. Its historic and public value has become less and less comprehensible. 

A CLR is a technical document meeting National Park Service guidelines to serve as a guide for the long-term preservation of a cultural landscape; the park in our case. A CLR:

  1. Documents and analyzes a site’s history, development, and current conditions
  2. Defines the cultural significance of a landscape
  3. Evaluates the physical integrity of a landscape
  4. Serves as a guide for preserving a cultural landscape and is the primary tool for long-term management.

Brackenridge’s CLR was commissioned by the City, San Antonio River Authority, and BPC in 2018. The CLR was prepared over an 18-month period by a group of interdisciplinary design professionals.

BPC Executive Committee member, Tim Swan, gave a presentation about the CLR during the June 13th Brackenridge Park Stakeholder Committee meeting. Here is a video of his presentation and a link to his PowerPoint.

Stay tuned for the next meeting of the Brackenridge Park Stakeholder Advisory Committee on July 11th.

Did you know?

The Brackenridge Park landscape contains an astonishing 12,000 years of documented prehistoric and human interaction with the upper course of the San Antonio River. In that span, its 120-year existence as a municipal park (how all of us experience the park today) is relatively short. Brackenridge Park has the potential to be the absolute best park in Texas; however, it will always be more than a park. It is a rich and complex cultural landscape that is inherently dynamic. This is why Brackenridge is San Antonio’s largest and most culturally significant urban park and has been called the most significant archeological site in Texas. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a National Antiquities Landmark. 

Brackenridge Park Conservancy is working daily to ensure that the park and its many stories and resources are protected for the San Antonians of today and tomorrow.