City Council Approves Beacon Hill Academy Building Demolition

The San Antonio City Council voted to demolish an historic building that currently sits on the site of the Beacon Hill Academy campus, just north of the CBE. The city council’s vote ended a long-time tug-of-war over the vacant building, which delivered in 1915, but has been in a state of disrepair for more than two decades.

The San Antonio Independent School District, which owns the building at 1411 Ashby Place, wanted to tear it down, saying it couldn’t afford the $5 million-$6 million necessary to rehab the building. However, city councilman Robert Treviño, an architect whose district includes the Beacon Hill site, pushed the district to repurpose and renovate the facility. The Historic and Design Review Commission also weighed in, designating the structure as an historic landmark, making it more difficult to demolish.

However, the council voted to deny the historic designation and approve the agreement to move forward on demolition. The demolition date is not known.

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