• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
    • Editorial Independence Policy
    • Corrections & Clarifications
  • Who we are
  • About us
  • Our Business Supporters

San Antonio Heron

Telling the complete downtown story

  • Development
  • Housing
  • Neighborhoods
  • Food & Drink

The Floodgate apartment tower closer to reality with razing of East Commerce buildings

February 6, 2020 By Ben Olivo 6 Comments

FacebookTweetPrintEmail
Crews demolish three buildings on the 100 block of East Commerce Street for the construction of the 17-story Floodgate luxury apartment tower. Photo by Ben Olivo | Heron
Three one-story buildings on the 100 block of East Commerce Street were demolished this week. Photo by Ben Olivo | Heron

On Tuesday, crews began demolishing three single-story commercial buildings on the 100 block of East Commerce Street for the 17-story Floodgate, a luxury apartment project by local developer Keller Henderson that will also face the River Walk.

The $43 million, octagonal tower will stand between the Witte building and Esquire Tavern, which are both owned by local developer Chris Hill. Hill and Merritt Development Group of Austin are also building the 22-story Canopy by Hilton on the end of the block at North St. Mary’s Street, across from the Aztec Theatre.

On Dec. 5, 2018, the Historic and Design Review Commission (HDRC) granted the Floodgate a certificate of appropriateness, which approved the design as well as the demolition of the row of commercial structures, which were local landmarks, that stood in its place. In recent years, notable tenants included restaurants Bella on the River and Jerry’s Chicago Style Hotdogs. The HDRC ordered the historic stone flood wall along the River Walk, the parts of the buildings that face the River Walk, be incorporated into the Floodgate’s design.

It’s unclear whether Henderson will deconstruct the wall stone by stone and reconstruct it later, which is the method Hill and Merritt Development are using for the former Mortgage Investment Corp./Sullivan Bank building and Alamo Fish Market facades at the Canopy site.

Henderson did not return an interview request for this update.

Scroll down for more info.

The Floodgate apartment tower by developer Keller Henderson is proposed for 143 E. Commerce St.
The Floodgate design was approved by the HDRC on Dec. 5, 2018. Courtesy Rhode: Partners

The Floodgate info

» Address: 143 E. Commerce St. (also faces River Walk)
» Developer: Keller Henderson (San Antonio)
» Property owner: Keller Henderson (San Antonio)
» Type: Housing with retail
» Height: 17 stories
» Units/square feet: 53 units; 15,000 s.f. restaurant (river and street)
» Rental type: Luxury
» Land size: 0.17 acres
» Cost: $43 million
» Investors: Undisclosed
» Incentives: $3.9 million from San Antonio’s Center City Housing Incentive Policy (view CCHIP agreement)—an estimated $3.1 million in city property tax rebates, $300,000 SAWS fee waivers, $111,288 in city fee waivers, and a $375,000 mixed-use loan.
» Rate of return on investment: Undisclosed
» Construction start date: Unknown
» End date: Unknown
» Architects: Rhode: Partners (Austin)

The Floodgate locator map, 143 E. Commerce St.

March 2021

Three businesses that’s building the Floodgate are sued by neighboring Drury Plaza Hotel San Antonio Riverwalk, alleging a construction crane knocked over a 20-foot tree on the hotel’s property on Feb. 25. The tree then struck a plate glass window, the lawsuit alleges. Four days later, the hotel owner obtained a temporary restraining order against the Floodgate builders “to desist and refrain from any invasion of the airspace” of the hotel’s property, the San Antonio Express-News reported. Read more.

Dec. 5, 2018
Design for The Floodgate, a 17-story luxury apartment tower on East Commerce Street, received a certificate of appropriateness from the Historic and Design Review Commission. Its contemporary design and octagonal shape on one of downtown’s most prominent blocks makes the project stand out. The project, by Keller Henderson of San Antonio, will include 53 units and restaurant space on the River Walk and on Commerce. Read more.

June 6, 2018
The Floodgate design wins conceptual approval at the Historic and Design Review Commission meeting. The design shoots from 10 stories, the original concept, to 17 stories. Read more.

2017
Word of the Floodgate, named for its location near the River Walk’s north floodgate, first appears in an article in the San Antonio Express-News. In the piece, Henderson says rents would average $4 per square foot, which would make it the most expensive apartment property in San Antonio. Read more.

More images

The Floodgate apartment tower by developer Keller Henderson is proposed for 143 E. Commerce St. Courtesy Rhode: Partners The Floodgate apartment tower by developer Keller Henderson is proposed for 143 E. Commerce St. Courtesy Rhode: Partners The Floodgate apartment tower by developer Keller Henderson is proposed for 143 E. Commerce St. Courtesy Rhode: Partners The Floodgate apartment tower by developer Keller Henderson is proposed for 143 E. Commerce St. Courtesy Rhode: Partners The Floodgate apartment tower by developer Keller Henderson is proposed for 143 E. Commerce St. Courtesy Rhode: Partners

hello@saheron.com | @sanantonioheron on Twitter | Facebook

FacebookTweetPrintEmail

Filed Under: Commerce Street, Development, Housing, River Walk

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Justain Rodriguez says

    February 12, 2020 at 2:17 pm

    That thing is hideous. What happened to the previous design? It had a ‘Arc de Triomphe’ appeal to it.

    Reply
  2. Miguel Cantu says

    February 13, 2020 at 1:34 pm

    The Floodgate is long overdue.Like almost every project slated for downtown San Antonio, it took almost an Herculean effort to get the project off the ground. Why do Most projects get bogged down?
    The Hemis fair Civic Park Project; No progress. The JMJ- SAHA twin towers project; No progress. The Broadway W brand hotel/condo/retail project; No progress. The La Villita apartments on Cesar Chavez and Presa; No progress. The Cambria hotel/retail project on Main; No progress. San Antonio is the city that over sleeps. I love my city, and yes, that not all change is good, there is a sense that our city is being left behind by those that choose to put other projects in other cities; e.g. Austin. The hard rock Hotel is just one of many projects denied by the powers that be that could give our city a more dynamic appeal. What are city leaders afraid of?

    Reply
    • Richard Hernandez says

      October 30, 2020 at 12:31 pm

      Wow Miguel, I couldn’t have said it better myself. Who are these yoyos that prevent San Antonio from progressing. Not all abandoned building have historical significance. It’s true, Austin as outshined us and outpaced us.

      We should be more in line with Houston or Dallas but instead, we look like El Paso or Laredo.

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. The most-read stories of 2020 - SAHeron says:
    January 5, 2021 at 7:51 pm

    […] […]

    Reply
  2. Canopy by Hilton, Witte building to bring four restaurants and bars to East Commerce - San Antonio Heron says:
    March 12, 2021 at 3:27 pm

    […] » The Floodgate apartment tower closer to reality with razing of East Commerce buildings (Feb. 6, 2020) » Tiki bar, Vietnamese restaurant set to open early 2021 inside Witte building […]

    Reply
  3. Canopy by Hilton, Witte building to bring four restaurants and bars to East Commerce - SAHeron says:
    March 16, 2021 at 6:58 pm

    […] » The Floodgate apartment tower closer to reality with razing of East Commerce buildings (Feb. 6, 2020) » Tiki bar, Vietnamese restaurant set to open early 2021 inside Witte building […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

For security, use of Google's reCAPTCHA service is required which is subject to the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

I agree to these terms.

Primary Sidebar

Share

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Deep Dives

How municipal bonds work, and a brief history of them in San Antonio

Olivo: How McKee-Rodriguez’s support for a luxury housing project helps shape the Decade of Downtown

The Lofts at River North are under construction at Broadway and Jones Avenue in July.

Analysis: It’s time to call BS on ‘workforce housing’

Copyright © 2023 San Antonio Heron · Site maintained by hmt3design.com

Share this ArticleLike this article? Email it to a friend!

Email sent!