San Antonio River Walk
by Lynn Sprowl
Title
San Antonio River Walk
Artist
Lynn Sprowl
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
San Antonio River Walk by Lynn Sprowl
The Torch of Friendship can be seen in this phot of The River Walk.
The San Antonio River Walk (also known as Paseo del Río or simply as The River Walk) is a city park and network of walkways along the banks of the San Antonio River, one story beneath the streets of San Antonio, Texas, USA. Lined by bars, shops, restaurants, nature, public artwork, and the five historic missions, the River Walk is an important part of the city's urban fabric and a tourist attraction in its own right.
The River Walk is a successful special-case pedestrian street, one level down from the automobile street. The River Walk winds and loops under bridges as two parallel sidewalks lined with restaurants and shops
In September 1921, a disastrous flood along the San Antonio River took 50 lives. Plans were then developed for flood control of the river. Among the plans was to build an upstream dam (Olmos Dam) and bypass a prominent bend of the river in the Downtown area (between present day Houston Street and Villita Parkway), then to pave over the bend, and create a storm sewer. Work began on the Olmos Dam and bypass channel in 1926; however, the San Antonio Conservation Society successfully protested the paved sewer option. No major plans came into play until 1929, when San Antonio native and architect Robert Hugman submitted his plans for what would become the River Walk.
The "Torch of Friendship" was given to San Antonio by the Mexican Consulate as a sign of friendship and to represent the roots many Texans share with Mexico.
The contemporary steel sculpture was made in Mexico and shipped to San Antonio in six pieces. It stands 65 feet tall and weighs 50 tons.
It was commissioned to commemorate the relationship between the United States and Mexico and the two countries' increasing commercial ties.
Urban monumental sculptor Sebastian was commissioned at the request of the Association of Mexican Entrepreneurs of San Antonio to design the sculpture.
Uploaded
June 8th, 2018
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