The future of history: Inside the $550M Alamo renovation project

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas is investing $550 million to ensure the Alamo is not forgotten, and renovations to the world-famous historic site are already underway.

The state legislature appropriated $450 million for the project in 2023, and an extra $150 million is being raised privately, said Emily Baucum, Associate Director of Public Relations for Alamo Trust, Inc.

Baucum said the project will refurbish the existing Alamo Church and Long Barrack, but funds will also support the addition of a new education center, museum and renovated visitor center.

KXAN sat down with Baucum to provide detailed insight into the renovations, scheduled for completion in 2027.

The primary aim of the revitalization is to “reclaim the battlefield footprint,” Baucum said, a vision that seeks “to make sure that people get not just the story of the Battle of the Alamo, but the entire 300-year history.”

Encompassed in the often-untapped history of the Alamo are stories and historical sites across a 4.5 acre compound that Baucum said the renovations will make more accessible to the public.

The site of the first hospital in Texas in the Long Barrack, the legacy of San Antonio’s historic Woolworth Building in the Civil Rights Movement and stories of commercial development in Alamo Plaza are just a few of the “hidden gems” the project intends to bring to the forefront.

Accompanying new enhancements to the visitor experience are preservation efforts to ensure the Alamo and its history will live on for generations to come.

A wooden roof was originally added to the Alamo Church by the United States Army. The current concrete roof is 104 years old and, due to drainage issues, routes rainwater down the walls. The renovation has allotted funding for a new roof that will divert water away from the Alamo and prevent further decay of its limestone exterior, Baucum said.

A temporary protective enclosure will be erected to protect the building while the roof is being replaced, but Baucum assures that the iconic facade will still be visible for visitors’ viewing and picture-taking pleasure.

Renovations are on track to be completed by the end of 2027, but a major checkpoint on the project timeline is scheduled to be unveiled next year.

The Texas Cavaliers Education Center will open on March 6, the 190th anniversary of the Battle of the Alamo. The center will serve as a learning hub for students of all ages. For students unable to make the field trip in person, a “Distance Learning Lab” will transport the Alamo to the classroom.

With construction already in full swing, Baucum called on Texans to make their own investment in the project and Texas state history: “Come remember the Alamo with us.”