San Antonio is planning another major restoration of the Spanish Governor’s Palace, with a $5.3 million, five-phase project that would repair the historic landmark and improve its surrounding grounds. The state filing outlines work ranging from roofing and historic doors to accessibility and landscaping, with a long-range completion date that does not necessarily indicate continuous construction.
An October 20 state accessibility registration identifies Fisher Heck Inc. Architects as the designer and lists a 23,902-square-foot project area. That figure describes the filed work area, not necessarily the historic building’s enclosed floor space.
Five Phases of Repairs and Site Work
The five-phase scope begins with roofing, patios and electrical work. The second phase addresses pathways, grading, accessibility, infrastructure and landscaping.
Door and window restoration follows in phase three, with plaster and lighting in phase four. The final phase calls for new restrooms, trees and vigas, or wooden roof beams.
Preserving a San Antonio Landmark
The Palace preserves part of the former Presidio San Antonio de Béxar. The National Park Service’s history traces its origins to living and office quarters built for the presidio captain in the 1730s, also known as the Captain’s House or Comandancia.
San Antonio acquired the property in the late 1920s after a preservation campaign led by Adina De Zavala. Architect Harvey P. Smith oversaw the restoration that followed. NPS notes that later research has revised some of that team’s interpretations and that the restored building is larger than its Spanish-colonial predecessor.
The one-story masonry and stucco complex contains ten rooms, a courtyard and a fountain. Its prominent entrance doors are themselves a product of the 1930 restoration. The city’s official tour identifies Swiss woodcarver Peter Mansbendel as their maker; he later carved the large doors at Mission San José.
Earlier repairs also prompted research below the surface. A UTSA archaeological review published by the city describes 1996 investigations of the front foundation before roof and exterior-wall repairs. Excavators found intact Spanish-colonial deposits near the façade, alongside evidence of later alterations.
The city’s FY2022 deferred-maintenance budget had already identified drainage and surface-repair needs at the Palace. It set aside $498,000 for work including salvaging approximately 3,850 square feet of historic mosaic pebble-stone courtyard paving, stabilizing and leveling the ground, replacing damaged exterior plaster and mortar, and adding a French drain to carry stormwater away from the building.
Funding Context and the Filed Schedule
The city’s FY2027 adopted budget continues the City-Owned Cultural Facilities Improvements program also listed in the FY2026 budget. Potential sites include the Palace, San Antonio Records and Archives and the International Center. Those program totals are not a Palace-only appropriation.
The registration lists January 4, 2027, as the planned start and December 31, 2036, as completion. The latter is the date entered in the filing, not confirmation of uninterrupted construction through 2036. Phase-by-phase funding, contractor selection and visitor-access arrangements have not been established in the reviewed records.