Hemisfair Park Area Redevelopment Corporation (HPARC) P3 Project: Testing and Monitoring for the Acequia Lofts Site Development, San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas

In 2017, the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) Center for Archaeological Research (CAR), in response to a request from 1968 Hemisfair LP on behalf of the Hemisfair Park Area Redevelopment Corporation (HPARC), agreed to provide archaeological services for a Public Private Partnership (P3) project in Hemisfair Park located in downtown San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas. The archaeological services for the HPARC P3 project relate to the construction of the Acequia Lofts, an eight-story, 151-unit apartment building and parking garage. The Scope of Work (SOW) for this project required monitoring the transplantation of five oak trees, monitoring site preparation for the relocation of the Amaya House (41BX573), monitoring the excavation of an electrical line stub-out, and testing and monitoring of the Acequia Lofts site. The Area of Potential Effect (APE) is primarily City of San Antonio (COSA) property and, as such, within the purview of the Antiquities Code of Texas, enforced by the Texas Historical Commission (THC). The project also falls under COSA’s Unified Development Code (Article 6 35-630 to 35-634). The work was sanctioned and completed under Texas Antiquities Permit No. 7852. José Zapata served as the Project Archaeologist, and Dr. Paul Shawn Marceaux, CAR Director, served as the Principal Investigator. Although archaeological testing and monitoring were completed between January and August 2017, CAR staff remained available for consultation through November 2017 as site development progressed and in case additional archaeology was required. With the exception of locating and recording an early twentieth-century house foundation, the Holmgreen Homestead (41BX2231), the results of the testing and monitoring were negative. CAR recommends no additional archaeology and that 41BX2231 is not eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) or for designation as a State Antiquities Landmark (SAL). CAR also recommends considerable forethought be given to any future development within 3 m (9.8 ft.) of the Acequia Madre de Valero (41BX8). No artifacts were collected during this project. All field notes, maps, and photos have been prepared for permanent curation at the CAR, in accordance with THC guidelines.