Summary: Everyone knows about the Riverwalk and the Alamo (remember, the Alamo?), but three AIA San Antonio Chapter members offer some other can’t-miss sites to see during your trip to the AIA 2007 National Convention and Design Exposition, May 3–5, in San Antonio.

Mission San Jose y San Miguel de Aguayo
The tower and dome of Mission San Jose y San Miguel de Aguayo rise above the native mesquite and pecan trees like masts of Spanish galleons cresting an ocean horizon. The tower and dome have been silent sentinels over San Antonio’s southern neighborhoods for nearly three centuries. Today, taquerias (Mexican restaurants) and drive-in theaters (yes, we still have one, named Mission Drive-in), stand where acequias, or irrigation canals, once delivered river water deep into the mission’s fields. But it’s the treasures within the mission’s walls that have delighted me since my youth. Third in the chain of five Spanish outposts constructed along the San Antonio River, Mission San Jose is clearly the most extensive and elaborate, justly deserving the title “Queen of the Missions.” Intricately carved Spanish Baroque facades, the delicately ornate “Rosa’s Window,” and the almost primordial vigor of the convent ruins are simply stunning. It’s almost unfathomable how such beauty could be molded from the seeming nothingness of the South Texas plains 280 years ago without material supply houses, skilled contractors, and, dare we say, trained architects. (Photo © San Antonio Convention and Visitors Bureau.)
—Chris Schultz, AIA
President, AIA San Antonio

La Villita and Fort Sam Houston
It has always been extremely hard to narrow down favorite spots in our city. While no need to mention the River Walk, another favorite spot is La Villita, a restored “Little Village” downtown adjacent to the River and site of the Host Chapter Party. But if you want to venture a little bit out of downtown, one of my favorite places is Fort Sam Houston. Established in 1872, it is the home of military aviation, military medicine, and the largest National Register Historic Landmark District in the United States. Fort Sam Houston has over 900 historic buildings, including a famous Quadrangle, contributing to the district dating from the late 1930s back to the 1870s. It’s definitely worth a look. (Photo © SACVB/Al Rendon.)
—Charles A. John, AIA
President-elect, San Antonio AIA

“Enchilada Red”
Mexican architect Ricardo Legorreta gave San Antonio a really wonderful piece of architecture with the Central Library, also called Enchilada Red. Having grown up on the Texas border in Brownsville, I really appreciate the way he molded color, form, and sunlight (and, of course, deep shade) on the building’s exterior. But it’s the interior spaces that are really amazing. From the sunlit six-story atrium to the intimate reading areas, this place makes you want to read, study, browse, and be happy we’re all intelligent, curious beings. No wonder the library’s use skyrocketed after the building opened. (Photo from the library’s Web site.)
—Jose Torres, Assoc. AIA
Sprinkle Robey Architects

—Russell Boniface