Plans for 200-foot observation wheel move forward
SAN ANTONIO – The City of San Antonio’s Historic and Design Review Commission has granted Icon Experiences conceptual approval for a new entertainment development north of the Alamodome in St. Paul Square.
The unanimous vote will allow the Florida-based company to move forward with more detailed plans for a project that some backers believe could draw additional locals and visitors downtown and tie into the City of San Antonio’s plans for a multibillion-dollar sports and entertainment district nearby.
The development calls for multiple rides, including a roughly 200-foot-tall observation wheel, as well as a plaza area, miniature golf course and dining space.
Plans for the project, first revealed in spring 2024, included a site located immediately west of Interstate 37 near the Shops at Rivercenter and a 200-foot-tall observation wheel called Grandisimo.
“Icon Experiences is making plans to add a giant, elevated entertainment experience to downtown San Antonio,” one of the company’s partners, Eli Stovall, said at the time.
In April 2024, the City of San Antonio approved a zoning change for the planned E. Houston Street site. But by August, Alamo officials began to raise concerns about the project and its proximity to the historic site.
Plans for the project have since shifted to a roughly 13-acre site immediately east of Interstate 37, which is presently a surface parking lot.
Centro San Antonio CEO Trish DeBerry, a strong proponent of the larger entertainment district plan branded Project Marvel, is among those who have put their support behind Icon Experience’s revamped plan.
“I believe the investor group that has significant ties to San Antonio has done its due diligence in finding a location that is both appropriate for an entertainment asset of this magnitude and will be a draw for both tourists and residents to an area still in need of revitalization,” DeBerry noted in a letter to San Antonio City Council members ahead of the HDRC hearing.
Project backers must still secure final approval from the HDRC to proceed with the project.
HDRC District 3 representative Gabriel Velasquez said the project could be a throwback to the city’s World’s Fair, HemisFair ’68, a key sight that could anchor Project Marvel.
Read more of this story at the San Antonio Business Journal website.
Editor’s note: This story was published through a partnership between KSAT and the San Antonio Business Journal.
