There’s a new plan underway to ‘reimagine’ the Alamo… and it’s a load of crap.
A plan to restore and ‘reimagine’ the Alamo been in the works for some years, and it’s not just a sprucing up of the place.
It’s a whole new ‘reimagined’ Alamo that won’t focus on the battle that the site is known for.
The Master Planner of the project, George Skarmeas, said, ‘We cannot single out one moment in time.’
That statement makes me feel like I did when I was lectured as a pre-teen and I just want to say it back to Mr. Skarmeas like this:
Because the Alamo is known worldwide for that ‘single moment in time’.
The Alamo is a World Heritage Site and it is well-known as one of the most historic sites in the United States. It is the site of a legendary standoff.
Yes, there is some incredible history there, but really, it’s known for the conflict where Davy Crockett, William Travis, James Bowie, and many others died.
The plan as promoted and approved would have rebuilt certain historic structures present at the time of the 1836 battle, as well as give visitors there a better and more complete understanding of the physical environment existing at the time of the conflict. Consequent to the plan’s passage, Texas General Land Office Commissioner George P. Bush, whose office is now in charge of running the Alamo, brought in a number of out-of-state planners to design the project. What they came up with was something very different from what its backers originally envisioned.
Source: Save The Alamo
The ‘Master Plan’ has Five Key concepts:
ONE – Restoration of the Church and Long Barracks.
TWO – Reestablishing clarity and order through the delineation of the historic footprint.
THREE – Recapture the Historic Mission Plaza and create a sense of reverence and respect on the historic battlefield.
FOUR – Repurpose the Crockett, Woolworth and Palace buildings into a world-class visitor center and museum that tells the story of the Battle of the Alamo and over 300 years of layered history.
FIVE – Create a sense of arrival to the site and enhance connectivity between the site and other public spaces.
Source: Reimagine The Alamo
Doesn’t sound so bad, right?
The devil is in the details, though.
The Master Plan includes items that cover 300 years of history but will focus on the diversity of cultures of the area. The plan includes being ‘inclusive’ by ‘telling all sides of the military story’.
The plan includes items that are non-historical and would alter both the look and feel of the site for visitors:
…the Alamo would be transformed into a multi-cultural hodgepodge of world history. ..And this does not comprise the full extent of the plan’s disturbing features. Instead of rebuilding the mission’s outer-perimeter defensive walls using the original limestone as has been done at the other four San Antonio missions, the Alamo’s walls would be constructed of modern-day see-through plexiglass. Other bizarre aspects by the designers are also present, including a tree-lined body of flowing water coursing through the middle of the site’s Main Plaza complete with tables, chairs, and canopies under which tourists may sip their drinks in comfort. In short, the effect will be more reminiscent of a modern-day tourist theme park than that of a hallowed and sacred battleground.
Source: Save The Alamo
ClashDaily is unable to confirm the claim made on the ‘Save The Alamo’ site that the proposal includes a name change back to the ‘San Antonio de Valero Mission’ which is what it was before it was dubbed The Alamo by the Spanish Second Flying Company of San Carlos de Parras when they occupied it in 1803.
On the Alamo Society’s Facebook page are several posts about the proposal.
https://www.facebook.com/alamosociety/posts/1376719925782124
This is what makes many in the state of Texas say to Mr. George Skarmeas:
This proposal of ‘reimagining’ the Alamo seems to detract from the iconic standoff for which it is known.
Do you wonder what ‘The King Of The Wild Frontier’ would have thought of this proposal?
Something tells me that he wouldn’t be too keen.
