As of May 19, 2025, this petition has closed. 

Sadly, the formidable legal resources of UTSA and the City thwarted our attempts to halt demolition and prevented any public hearing on the preservation of the Institute of Texan Cultures Building.  Thank you to all who signed, shared and promoted this petition.  Your online voices provided valuable and visible witness to the public interest in saving this iconic Texas landmark for a new use. It was an uphill battle, but one well worth fighting.

Urgent action is needed to sign and share petition on social media since UTSA began apparent demolition of walls of the ITC Building on April 8, 2025 despite our pending legal action.  

Heavy equipment started ripping into the upper wall panels.  We are pursuing legal action to stop further destruction.

In 2024, the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) announced plans to demolish the Institute of Texan Cultures (ITC) Building, one of the largest permanent structures erected for the 1968 World's Fair in San Antonio, Texas.

The Institute of Texan Cultures Building, built by the State of Texas, served as the Texas Pavilion for HemisFair '68 and housed the State's museum of diverse Texan cultures for over 50 years.  It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places April 18, 2024 for its architectural and historical significance, including its role in the creation of UTSA.  It also represents:

• The design work of award-winning architect and decorated WW II veteran William M. Peña of the firm Caudill, Rowlett, and Scott.  Peña is known as the father of architectural programming.
• The only downtown San Antonio landmark designed by a Mexican American architect.
• One of less than 4% of sites on the National Register that reflect Latino history.

The ITC Building should NOT be demolished because: 

• Other building uses have not been explored since UTSA canceled a 2016 Request for Proposals.
• Demolition ignores the 45% investment tax credits available to developers for rehabilitation.
• The ITC is structurally sound.  Demolition of this 180,000 square foot building is not environmentally or culturally sustainable, and will cost Texas tax payers millions of dollars.
• Demolition continues the erasure of tangible sites of Mexican American history in San Antonio, Texas.
• Project Marvel, and the sports arena slated to replace the ITC, will require public funding that hasn't been approved by voters yet.

The University of Texas board of regents has conditionally approved a plan to lease or sell the Institute of Texan Cultures property to the City of San Antonio for a “potential downtown revitalization project," known as Project Marvel.   The City wants to build a new, downtown sports arena for the San Antonio Spurs NBA basketball team on the ITC site. Demolition is extremely premature in this multi-phased project which still requires approval from a skeptical public.

Take Action Now!

To date, the public has had almost no input on the fate of the historic ITC Building, which is located on a 13.5 acre site at the eastern end of Hemisfair Park, the City's only large downtown park. 

Please sign this petition to Save the Institute of Texas Cultures Building.

Our goal is to:

1) Show UTSA and City of San Antonio that it is in the public interest to find a new use for the ITC Building, preserving it as part of San Antonio's vibrant multi-cultural experience.

2) Use legal action to stop the destruction of the building so true public engagement can take place.  Public projects with public money demand public input!

Read More About:

The campaign to save the ITC Building

Architect William M. Peña

The ITC Building's significance to Mexican American Civil Rights