Texas Historical Commission Nixes Plan to Relocate Alamo Cenotaph
September 24, 2020 - San Antonio
Monumental Courage. “I stand with the Texas Historical Commission and many Texans from across the state and agree that we can still provide that world-class historical experience without moving the Cenotaph,” said District 9 San Antonio City Councilman John Courage on Wednesday. Photo: Jade Esteban Estrada.
By Jade Esteban Estrada - Staff Writer, San Antonio Sentinel
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
- On Tuesday, the Texas Historical Commission denied a request by the City of San Antonio to relocate a downtown monument that honors soldiers who died at the 1836 Battle of the Alamo
- For the past six years, the City has been working with project partners to develop a plan to transform the historical site
On Tuesday, the Texas Historical Commission voted 12-2, with one abstention, denying a request by the City of San Antonio to relocate the Alamo Cenotaph entitled The Spirit of Sacrifice, a 1936 monument honoring soldiers who died at the 1836 Battle of the Alamo.
In a statement on Tuesday, Assistant City Manager Lori Houston expressed disappointment about the THC decision to deny the relocation permit, which she says has left the Alamo Master Plan “a plan without a project.”
Over the past six years, the City of San Antonio has been working with such project partners as the Texas General Land Office, Alamo Trust, the Alamo Citizens Advisory Committee, and the public to develop a plan to transform the historical site. Although Tuesday night’s vote dashed plans to restore and relocate the Cenotaph, Houston said the project partners will begin to discuss plans for their next steps in the coming days.
District 10 Councilman Clayton Perry, whom many consider the most conservative voice on San Antonio’s city council, was pleased by the THC vote.
“The Cenotaph is an integral component of Alamo Plaza and should remain where it stands - on the center of the battlefield where Texas heroes died defending the Alamo,” he said in a statement. “We have heard from people all over who have vehemently opposed moving the Cenotaph from its current location, and I am glad that their pleas were heard and respected by the Texas Historical Commission.”
Perry believes that the day the THC voted to keep the Cenotaph where it stands will be a milestone in Texas history.
Additionally, he also feels that the Alamo Plan should focus on protecting the Church and Long Barrack so that future generations can not only view it, but hopefully feel a part of the area’s history.
“Like everyone involved with this project over the course of the last several years, I want to see this project excel and plan to continue working to ensure that the outcome is one that respects and honors the Battle of the Alamo and the more than 300-year history of our city,” he said.
RELATED: Connected Beyond the Classroom Initiative Aims to Bridge City’s Digital Divide
District 9 Councilman John Courage, who was not in support of relocating the Cenotaph in 2018, also applauded the commission’s decision to restore the monument where it currently stands.
“People come from all over the world to see The Alamo and Alamo Plaza,” he said a day after the vote. “The Cenotaph stands prominently in its current location and should not distract from the vision of a Master Plan which includes restoration of the Alamo Chapel and the Long Barrack, and the nearby construction of a world-class museum dedicated to the Alamo and its history. I stand with the Texas Historical Commission and many Texans from across the state and agree that we can still provide that world-class historical experience without moving the Cenotaph.”
The marker on the imposing monument reads:
“Erected in memory of the heroes who sacrificed their lives at the Alamo, March 6, 1836, in the defense of Texas. They chose never to surrender nor retreat; these brave hearts, with flag still proudly waving, perished in the flames of immortality that their high sacrifice might lead to the founding of this Texas.”
In a 2018 opinion piece in the San Antonio Express-News, Courage argued: “Why would we consider forcing the fallen to give ground now?”
Many San Antonians would agree that this is a monumental question.
Jade Esteban Estrada is a staff writer at the San Antonio Sentinel, where he covers public health and other citywide issues. He can be reached at jade@sasentinel.com.