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San Antonio officials held the grand opening for the city’s new World Heritage Center on Friday.
The World Heritage Center will inform residents and visitors about the city’s United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage designation and serve as a gateway to the San Antonio Missions.
In a statement, the city explained that "Mayor Ron Nirenberg, District 3 Councilmember Phyllis Viagran, Public Works Director Razi Hosseini, World Heritage Office Director Colleen Swain, and Dr. Cynthia Teniente-Matson, the former president of the San Antonio Tricentennial Celebration Commission," all spoke at the ceremony, and it included quotes from Viagran and Swain.
“With the opening of the World Heritage Center, we underline a significant milestone for the San Antonio community and an important benchmark for the world,” Viagran said. “The Center will serve as a platform for sharing our rich stories and proud heritage with residents and tourists from around the globe.”
"We are thrilled about the opening of the World Heritage Center, marking an incredible moment for San Antonio and our community,” Swain said. “The Center honors the living legacies of the people connected to the missions and provides an opportunity for them to share their stories and experiences as they lived it.”
The five San Antonio Missions — Mission San Antonio de Valero, commonly known as the Alamo; Mission San José; Mission Concepción; Mission San Juan; and Mission Espada — are all part of a UNESCO designated World Heritage Site.
The new World Heritage Center will operate in the center of the Mission Reach, a short walk from Mission San José. It's located at 3106 Roosevelt Ave.
Visitors to the World Heritage Center will learn about the history of the Spanish Missions and the inhabitants of the land around them — from those who first encountered the Spanish to those who lived and worked in the Missions to the present.
The World Heritage Center’s construction cost nearly $16 million, and more than $12 million of that came from the 2017 and 2022 city bonds.
It is part of a phased project to enhance the area around it that will also eventually include new parking and landscaping, as well as a pavilion, pedestrian connection, and walking trails.
