The Plaza and Cellars at Pearl Brewery

San Antonio’s Historic Pearl Brewery complex has been transformed into a lively mixed-use neighborhood with shops, offices, restaurants, hotel, and residences. Our 4-acre project forms the core, featuring plazas, promenades, courtyards, and gardens inspired by history, community, and connections. The new varied gathering spaces are vital to The Historic Pearl’s reinvention as a cultural destination designed to foster community, connect the site to the adjacent San Antonio River, and create a much-loved heart for this new urban center. With over 30,000 visitors per week and 8,000 to the Saturday market, The Pearl has become a new cultural hub of the City of San Antonio and an example of impactful landscape architecture.

Urban Revitalization and Community Spaces

San Antonio’s Pearl Brewery complex has undergone a transformation into a dynamic mixed-use urban district comprising retail, restaurants, hospitality venues, and residential developments. The 4-acre project, centrally located within The Historic Pearl, features landscape architect-designed plazas, promenades, and gardens that draw inspiration from regional history and context. These diverse outdoor spaces serve as communal areas for residents, visitors, and the wider community, reinforcing The Pearl’s role as a local cultural destination.

At the heart of The Pearl, The Plaza defines the public realm through its composition of The Culinary Gardens, The Grove, The Lawn, The Shamrock Pavilion, and Brewmeister’s Alley & Overlook. These interconnected open spaces promote both active and passive pedestrian engagement, seamlessly connecting retail, hospitality, and residential amenities to the San Antonio River Walk. The Plaza is programmed to host a range of events, including farmers markets, performances, and community celebrations, thereby fostering meaningful urban interaction. Private gardens, terraces, and the rooftop pool deck at Cellars Residences offer residents tranquil retreats amid the bustle of public activity, optimizing urban living.

Historic Identity and Material Reuse

A critical aspect of The Historic Pearl's identity involved acknowledging and integrating its industrial heritage. Interventions included transforming an original structure into an outdoor shaded space, The Shamrock Pavilion, and creatively repurposing salvaged artifacts throughout the landscape; Elements from the former brewing process are reused as fountains, planters, arbors, and bollards, paying homage to history. Salvaged concrete columns become seat walls; and salvaged rail lines set in the pavement, guide visitors through Brewmeister’s Alley towards the riverfront, where water harvesting acequias, terraced gardens, and an overlook enhance access to the San Antonio River Walk.

Sustainable and Resilient Design

Water conservation principles were central to the site’s redevelopment. Prominent rain gardens honor traditional acequia irrigation channels and establish experiential and hydrological connections to the river. These linear gardens support native plantings, facilitating stormwater filtration via cascading weirs before entering the river. Rainwater and condensate collected from The Cellars is recycled in The Shamrock beer hopper fountain for irrigation purposes, while the culinary garden water feature, fabricated from reclaimed beer tanks, serves as an iconic focal point reflective of tiered Mexican courtyard fountains, resonating with local cultural affinities.

The successful revitalization of this former brownfield and neglected downtown area results from a collaborative partnership between a visionary client and the landscape architect responsible for the outdoor environments. Over five years, the development of The Plaza and Cellars has fulfilled the aspiration for this historic site, evidenced by the consistently diverse and vibrant community presence. These accomplishments have been recognized by the ULI Global Award of Excellence (2017) and the Texas ASLA Award of Excellence (2018).

• Three Architecture, Project Architect for The Cellars and Hotel Emma
• Don MacDonald Architecture, Design Architect for The Cellars
• Campbell & Associate Consulting Engineers, Structural Engineer
• Jordan & Skala Engineers, Inc., MEP Engineer
• Pape-Sawson Engineers, Civil Engineer
• Raba-Kistner Consultants, Inc., Geotechnical Engineer
• Fountain People and Rialto Studio, Fountain MEP
• Raba-Kistner Consultantas, Inc, Waterproofing Consultant
• BOS Lighting Design, Lighting Consultant
• Garabedian Associates, Fire Protection and Code
• Robert V. Buck and Associates, LLC., Accessibility Consultants
• Harvey-Cleary Builders, General Contractor
• Valley Crest, Landscape Contractor
• Carma Construction, LLC, Paving Contractor
• MSI, Steel Fabricator
• Keith Zars Pools, Pool Contractor
• Rialto Studio, Irrigation Design

• Function First
• Landscape Forms
• Myyour
• Big Ass Fans
• Tucci
• Zurn Industries
• McNichols Co. Inc
• Hunter
• Rain Bird
• Fountain in a Can
• Cold Spring Granite
• Continental Quarries
• D'Hanis Brick and Tile
• Concrete Collaborative