DALLAS (AP) – As the Alamo prepares for a face-lift of at least $48 million, some critics say the landmark – one of the most recognizable in U.S. history – must be transformed from a one-dimensional attraction that’s struggled to find its footing amid the clamor of downtown San Antonio.
The 18th-century former Spanish mission is poised to undergo one of its most significant alterations as Texas moves to buy nearby commercial buildings and hire a firm to develop a master plan over the next year that could change the area dramatically.
Some with a stake in the area say nearby attractions like Ripley’s Haunted Adventure are too garish for the setting where some 190 men died defending the mission against the forces of Mexican Gen. Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. Others say the landmark focuses too much on the battle that eventually gave way to Texas independence and not enough on its role as a cultural and commercial gateway.
“We’ve overly focused on March 6, 1836,” said Jesus F. de la Teja, director of the Center for the Study of the Southwest at Texas State University.
Some critics say the Alamo could learn from neighboring attractions and offer catchier exhibits and displays.