A contractor sent debris from the historic Solo Serve building spilling into the downtown River Walk when a roof and wall collapsed after a supporting structure was undermined Wednesday afternoon. Scaffolding, plywood planks, and debris defiled the river after a week of demolition efforts at the site came to an abrupt and unplanned halt with the collapse.
See the Rivard Report‘s Facebook live coverage below.
Visitors to the city watched from nearby hotel balconies and various points along the River Walk while locals in close by office windows could be seen surveying the damage and chaos.
Following the incident the City’s Government and Public Affairs Department confirmed that nobody had been injured. “At approximately 3:30 p.m., City staff was informed that debris from the Solo Serve demolition project fell on a covered walkway on a closed portion of the Riverwalk, pushing it into the San Antonio River,” the statement read.
Demolition on the long-vacant Solo Serve building on Soledad Street, a historic landmark constructed in the 1920s that was once the Bexar County Courthouse, began on March 1.
“I was walking for exercise,” said Patti Scott, who is visiting San Antonio from Maryland. “All of a sudden that part of the roof started to collapse. I don’t know if [the River Walk] was blocked off, but it started to collapse … scaffolding fell and I saw a huge amount of dust … you can see the metal sticking out of the river. And that tree fell across the river.”
According to San Antonio Police Department spokesperson Jesus Salame, no injuries were reported at the scene, and SAPD is working with other city departments to clean up the river.
“My understanding is it’s just debris and the building has not fallen down [into the river],” Salame told the Rivard Report. “They are in the process of doing demolition [and] a mishap caused some debris to go into the river, but technically the building is coming down. We will make sure it’s all structurally sound and SAPD is active at the scene making sure nobody gets hurt.”
When the Rivard Report asked one construction worker at the scene what happened, he declined comment. “Not good,” he said, in response to how his day was going.
The river-level sidewalk below Mexican Manhattan and the Solo Serve construction site had been blocked off to pedestrians, construction worker Alex Quiroz said, pointing to the barricades at the street level.
Hansco, Inc., the contractor in charge of demolishing the two-story structure, worked to clear the area as the City’s Transportation & Capital Improvements Department monitored the situation to ensure debris doesn’t impact the flow of the river or the cleanup efforts, the City’s press release stated.
In place of the Solo Serve building will be a nine-story hotel with a river-level restaurant by Austin-based Merritt Development Group and hotel developer Vista Host.
See the Rivard Report’s footage of the Solo Serve building’s initial demolition below.
Isn’t this really a part of the Veramendi Palace, which is one of the most important buildings in Sn Antonio and not just Solo Serve? Don’t need a response, just wanted to see if the facts check out for the story.
Thanks
I’m wondering why this historic building was allowed to be demolished anyway. Surely that much later facade could have been removed and the building repurposed. Was that considered before allowing the demolition?
According to this article from March 1 https://therivardreport.com/solo-serve-demolition-begins/
“Soon, all that will be left of the original structure – a former department store between Soledad and East Houston streets – will be a historic 11-foot brick wall facing the River Walk… [The building] ‘lost significance’ over the years, according to the Office of Historic Preservation”
This wasn’t the first time. Reported in the Galveston News, November 23, 1878 – “Narrow Escape of Workmen” – The south wall of the Veramendi house, in consequence of excavating the cellar for a building, fell with a loud crash. Several workmen had a narrow escape.
Hate to see the mishap, but glad no one is hurt. Also glad to see they are doing something with this section of downtown. The long vacant Solo Serve has been a clear reminder that much of downtown is still vacant and dilapidated. Development in this area is a good thing to help continue to revitalize downtown.
I worked in the Rand Building across the street and remember going to Solo Serve and remember it closing. It’s great to see them doing something with this.
Your report is [bogus]! OMG! a few pieces of plywood and 2×4’s went into the San Antonio River!!!! D0n’t worry about the thousands of lbs of chemicals, feces, non-point source pollution, oil, antifreeze, etc. that is washed into the SA river every day. That stuff isn’t important… the real hazards of the SA river is wooden material that accidentally was sent into the river and could be pulled out easily. Another Non-story!
Hopefully, the contractor is going to pay for the clean-up of this mishap and not the taxpayers.
According to the 1922 SA Express, in 1897 the Veramendi Palace was condemned by the City Council, but a legal battle ensued and the owners contended that the city wanted to widen Soledad Street and avoid paying for the building. The owners won and the old building was spruced up. Ten years later it was completely razed and sold as a business site. Forty of the great hewn beams, of cedar, mulberry, and possibly walnut, were given to the Alamo, but I have yet to discover their location today.
The plaque on the old building at the entrance to the Clegg Company was placed there originally by Adina deZavala with the Texas Historical and Landmarks Association to mark the site of the Veramendi house “where Ben Milam was killed and where Bowie wooed and won his bride Ursula Veramendi”according to the old list at the Conservation Society. The exact quotation has been lost, along with the marble plaque.