Archaeological Investigations for the Alamo Inn and Suites, San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas

Abstract

On January 7, 2019, The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) Center for Archaeological Research (CAR), in response to a request from 1718 Architecture, LLC, conducted archaeological investigations in the form of exploratory backhoe trenching in advance of proposed improvements to the Alamo Inn and Suites located in San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas. The project is subject to the review authority of the City of San Antonio Office of Historic Preservation (COSA-OHP) under the COSA Historic Preservation and Design Section of the Unified Development Code (Article 6, Sections 35-630 Designated Archaeological Sites to 35-634 Cemeteries). Paul Shawn Marceaux served as the Principal Investigator, and Antonia L. Figueroa served as Project Archaeologist. The proposed improvements to the Alamo Inn and Suites consist of the addition of 20 rooms east of the existing retail shop and three rooms north of the existing rooms. Archaeological investigations conducted by CAR resulted in the excavation of three backhoe trenches. During backhoe trenching, a limestone foundation associated with a domestic structure and dating to at least 1890 was encountered and recorded as site 41BX2273. CAR recommends no further archaeological work, as there was a lack of archaeological deposits associated with the documented foundation. However, COSA-OHP recommended that construction avoid impact to the foundation.