St. Benedict’s rental housing and Liberty Bar restaurant

View from window of model apartment

Today I had the pleasure of touring the St. Benedict’s redevelopment project with Jessica Gonzales, the Leasing Agent.  The property is located at 1115 S. Alamo in the heart of the King William neighborhood and Southtown area.  The Blue Trolley line stops in front of the complex and Casbeers at the Church is located directly across the street. 

The project has three sections – a five-story building with one- and two-bedroom rental housing units; townhouse live/work rental units; and a building which will be the new home of the Liberty Bar restaurant.  Residents have already moved into the south side of the five-story building.  The north side of the building is nearing completion.   

The three-acre property contains 66 one- and two-bedroom housing units.  Monthly rental rates range from $1,075 to $2,111.  Live/Work, Townhouse, and Penthouse units are also available with rents ranging from $1,064 to $3,072 per month.  The property includes a pool, fitness center and covered parking.  Pets are permitted with restrictions.  I saw two happy dogs on my tour of the property.  Jessica said that the ages of residents range from 20’s to early 40’s. 

Interior of model apartment

Kitchen in model apartment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Apartment interiors were designed by architect Davis Sprinkle.   The apartments feel like lofts with concrete floors, exposed beams and brick walls.  Kitchens are white and bathrooms feature tile and glass tub and shower enclosures. 

Interior courtyard

Apartments in the south building face a shady outdoor courtyard.  Three units on the first floor have small patios in the courtyard. 

The fitness center will be operated by Mind, Body & Soul which has a center at 5025 Broadway.  I didn’t see the fitness center since it was still under construction.  The owners plan to offer memberships for the pool and fitness center to neighborhood residents. 

The swimming pool and lounge area is located in the center of the property.  Jessica said that an artist is creating a sail-inspired shade covering for the pool.  Pool side dining and drinks will be provided by the Liberty Bar team. 

Live/work building

The live/work townhouse bulding and the Liberty Bar are located next to each other on the north side of the property.  The buildings will be open to the public.  Locked gates separate these two buildings from the apartment building.  The live/work building is scheduled to be completed in October.  Jessica is hoping that art galleries will rent space in the new building and attract people to the complex to  shop and eat.   

The Liberty Bar will move to the three-story convent building in early 2010.  In recent articles in the San Antonio Current  and the San Antonio Express-News Liberty Bar owner Dwight Hobart said that the upper floor of the building will house a reincarnation of the Liberty Bar. The building will have a basement wine cellar and outdoor patio dining.  

Future home of Liberty Bar

In the back of the property, behind the parking lot, is a long narrow strip of vacant land.  Jessica said that Stephen W. Yndo, the St. Benedict’s developer, will break ground there this fall on Madison Street Townhomes.  The project will include six single-family residences. 

The Boerne Benedictine Sisters operated St. Benedict Hospital and Nursing Home  on the property from 1926 to 1984.  The property has been vacant since the Sisters sold it in 1985. Given the age and use of the buildings I wondered if the property was haunted.  Jessica said that she had not seen or heard any ghosts.  However, she had heard about a few mysterious activities.  She said the night security guard saw a dark figure in an upper window of the vacant building.  He also saw a child’s figure in the doorway of the convent building.  And recently a resident complained that his shoes were mysteriously moving around in his apartment.

New Downtown Condos in San Antonio

Real estate development in San Antonio seems to happen in bunches and right now there’s a bunch of new condominium projects going up downtown and near downtown.

My husband and I are looking forward to moving downtown when the kids graduate from high school and move out of the house (no pressure kids!).  So we’ve been touring some of these condo projects.

We really like the Vidorra.  The tower rises rather unexpectedly east of IH-37 at Commerce Street.  The 20-story development contains 146 condo units.  Amenities include an outdoor pool, fitness center and spa room, and a business center with FAX and copy machines.  The front counter is staffed 24 hours per day and there is free coffee in the lobby. (My mother will probably visit just for this.)  There is also a  nice outdoor patio on the 20th floor for resident use.  Parking is in an adjoining 4-story parking garage.

The condos start at $255,900 for a one-bedroom unit plus there is a $0.27 per square foot per month homeowner’s association fee.  The condo interiors are finished with the materials usually promoted on HGTV including granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, separate shower and tubs, and huge walk-in closets.  The surrounding area doesn’t have the restaurant and shopping density of Southtown but Aldaco’s and Spaghetti Warehouse are nearby.  And you can quickly get to the heart of downtown on the trolley that stops outside the front door.  As of July 24 the sales director emailed us that 45 units had been sold.

The Broadway is another new highrise condominimum tower located at the corner of Hildebrand and Broadway where Earl Abel’s used to stand.  They don’t have units completed to tour yet but my husband and I checked out the sales center one Sunday afternoon.  The project turned out to be out of our price range so we haven’t done any additional research.  Units start at $495,000 with a $.53 per square foot monthly homeowner fee.  Planned amenities include underground parking, pool and spa, outdoor kitchen and fireplace, yoga and pilates studio, business center, and a common media room.  The project is located across the street from The University of the Incarnate Word and is a few blocks from HEB Central Market.

Another development I like is the Lone Star Brewery south of downtown.  I have fond memories of  visiting the Brewery with my parents back in the 1970’s.  We would tour the Hall of Horns and Fins, drink a cold root beer at the bar, and go for a swim in the really big pool.  Surprisingly most of the buildings are still intact including the mural of San Antonio events.   The project has quite a few positive selling points.  The new southern Riverwalk extension borders the project.  Condo units are priced starting at $124,900, far below comparable units.  The 22-acre site is located near Southtown amenities but with a relaxed rural feel.  It’s easy to imagine sitting outside the biergarten with friends every afternoon.  And each unit comes with a year’s supply of beer.

Despite these advantages the project appears to have stalled after a flurry of sales activity in early 2009.  I recently drove by the site and there wasn’t any signs of construction going on inside the locked gates.

Mural at the Lone Star Brewery

Edited on July 31, 2009: web links added