Brackenridge Park Conservancy received a 2021 High Impact Grant from Impact San Antonio for the construction of a new roof on the historic San Antonio Water Works Pump House No. 1. The pump house restoration is part of the Pump House and Lambert Beach project at the park.
But as has happened with a few of our grants over the years, a change in circumstances now requires that we reconsider the focus of the grant.
After the Impact San Antonio grant was awarded, the City of San Antonio split the Pump House and Lambert Beach project into two phases. The pump house roof is in phase 2, and completion of the roof is delayed until at least 2025.
After considering several options at a special meeting in May, our board of directors voted to reassign the grant funds to a phase 1 project that would be completed sooner while preserving the intent of the original grant to support the restoration of Brackenridge Park. The project selected is the restoration of the Lambert Beach Stairway leading from the river to the pump house area. State and city permits have already been received, and stairway completion is expected in summer 2024.
“We are delighted Brackenridge Park Conservancy is using the Impact SA High Impact Grant for this historic restoration, which will serve our community for generations,” said Audrey Laird, co-chair of Grant Oversight and Outcomes on the Impact SA board.
Terry Brechtel, Brackenridge Park Conservancy Chief Operating Officer, said, “We appreciate Impact SA’s flexibility to allow us to move the money to an equally important project in the park that will restore a treasured feature for all to enjoy.”
Brackenridge Park is closely tied to the city’s original water supply. The Pump House was built in 1877 of smooth-finished, cut limestone extracted from the city rock quarry a short distance to the south, and may originally have been plastered.
It pumped water from the San Antonio River to a reservoir approximately one mile southeast that is now on the grounds of the San Antonio Botanical Garden.
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