Pearl Brewery (San Antonio, Olmos Park, Anton: appointed, real estate, apartments)

[majormadmax]

OK, maybe I was reading into their web site too much; but for some reason I was under the impression that the Pearl Brewery was up and running establishment.

Now I notice the nuances...

Pearl Brewery is an urban village in the making on the River in San Antonio, Texas. We're creating a vital, eclectic neighborhood where brewmeisters plied their art for more than a century.

But the same site also states...

Now, it's a place where you can attend a wedding in an elegant oval former stable...learn to bake brioche where bottling equipment used to be stored...luxuriate at a day spa housed in a former garage...hunt for one-of-a-kind goods in one of our eclectic array of shops... live in a urban apartment where millions of cans were once recycled...or work downstairs/live upstairs in a live/work space in the brewery's former warehouse.

As usual, I am

We visited the new section of the Riverwalk this past week with my Mother who was visiting from out-of-town. I figured we could have lunch somewhere at the brewery after walking along the river, after reading this on said web site...

Explore delectable food frontiers where fresh, local ingredients are transformed by the artful skills of culinary devotees. Texas Farm to Table’s fresh, healthy lunches begin with ingredients grown right here in Texas. Exciting plans for other restaurants, cafes, and a coffee shop are in the works.

Well, to my surprise the Pearl Brewery is a construction zone extraordinaire! As such, while the new section of the Riverwalk is nice, I don't see it attracting anyone any further north than the the San Antonio Museum of Art as other than a few pieces of art (the fish under the IH-35 overpass are interesting, as is the "sculpture" just north of there) there really isn't anything to draw you further north.

So, all that said, does anyone know when the proposed shops and restaurants at the Pearl Brewery are expected to open?

Cheers! M2

[smitty12]

Originally Posted by majormadmax

OK, maybe I was reading into their web site too much; but for some reason I was under the impression that the Pearl Brewery was up and running establishment.

Now I notice the nuances...



But the same site also states...



As usual, I am

We visited the new section of the Riverwalk this past week with my Mother who was visiting from out-of-town. I figured we could have lunch somewhere at the brewery after walking along the river, after reading this on said web site...



Well, to my surprise the Pearl Brewery is a construction zone extraordinaire! As such, while the new section of the Riverwalk is nice, I don't see it attracting anyone any further north than the the San Antonio Museum of Art as other than a few pieces of art (the fish under the IH-35 overpass are interesting, as is the "sculpture" just north of there) there really isn't anything to draw you further north.

So, all that said, does anyone know when the proposed shops and restaurants at the Pearl Brewery are expected to open?

Cheers! M2

Some of it is open, all on the north side of the property.

Texas Farm to Table is open
Texas Farm to Table | Home

There are couple of other shops including a kitchenware shop open on that side. The Main building is a construction zone though....

[mrstxcop]

I am thinking the spa they are talking about is the Aveda Institute ... they have manicures, pedicures, facials, hair cuts/coloring/highlights, etc...

the lunch place, Farm to Table is attached to the Aveda place...you enter Farm to Table off the front patio of Aveda...everytime I go to Aveda, and I go alot, this little place is packed...

The Kitchenware shop is pretty nice, but also pretty darn pricey...I am thinking they have some sort of cooking classes there, but I don't remember for sure...

I forgot what other stores or offices are located there...to the right of Aveda, across the street, there is a Pilates type gym...

[wCat]

Did you drive into the complex or just approach it by foot along the river?

That would probably answer some of your questions.

The oval building was originally the stables. It is a mixed use area and can be used for receptions, banquets etc. The cooking school is also in that building.

Just as you approach the entrance, there are already some loft apartments that are completed. More are on the way on the river side. Pearl is a work in progress. Try going to the Farmers Market on a Saturday and scope out the places that are already open. It's not a construction zone from that direction.

[Eleanor Rigby]

I know someone who is currently living at the Pearl. They LOVE it.

Also, the Stables, which used to be called the Jersey Lilly before they renovated it, has been open for at least 18 months. I just went to a wedding there, and the venue is just beautiful. They had cocktails on the plaza out front, and dinner and dancing inside.

The culinary school is open, Farm to Table is open, the Aveda Institute is open (this is a cosmetology school that also offers treatments, which is where the day spa bit comes in. They do good pedicures.) Synergy Studios moved from Olmos Park to the Full Goods building - they offer NIA, pilates, yoga and other group exercise classes.

I can see where you might have been confused - part of it is still a construction zone, but other parts are very active.

I second wCat - go for the farmer's market, then have lunch at Farm to Table.

[dvlpr]

Originally Posted by majormadmax

OK, maybe I was reading into their web site too much; but for some reason I was under the impression that the Pearl Brewery was up and running establishment.

Now I notice the nuances...



But the same site also states...



As usual, I am

We visited the new section of the Riverwalk this past week with my Mother who was visiting from out-of-town. I figured we could have lunch somewhere at the brewery after walking along the river, after reading this on said web site...



Well, to my surprise the Pearl Brewery is a construction zone extraordinaire! As such, while the new section of the Riverwalk is nice, I don't see it attracting anyone any further north than the the San Antonio Museum of Art as other than a few pieces of art (the fish under the IH-35 overpass are interesting, as is the "sculpture" just north of there) there really isn't anything to draw you further north.

So, all that said, does anyone know when the proposed shops and restaurants at the Pearl Brewery are expected to open?

Cheers! M2

M2 -

The Pearl is going to take a while to develop - it was never going to be a typical project, built all at once in one phase. It was intended to be developed slowly, so that the individual buildings, with different design styles, will create a more authentic place.

What's open so far is the Aveda Spa (which contains Farm to Table, independantly owned & operated, the Stables (event facility), the Can Building (with 3 apartments & Synergy Studio), and the Full Goods building (which is primarily an office building, but has some live-work units as well).

That said, Il Sogno & the Sandbar (both owned & operated by Andrew Weissman) should both be open in the next 90 days. And the CIA building (where the smokestack is) is under construction, but I don't know when it's supposed to be open.

Once the real estate capital crunch subsides, you should see other projects at the Pearl kick-off. Some of the smartest real estate dudes in SA are leading this project - it's going to be great, but it's also going to take some time.

And to your point about the river extension not attacting people further north than SAMA.........I'll take a big wager against that. Pearl already owns lots of real estate down there, and it's just not that far. This area will be seriously transformed over the next 10-20 years.

[pr57001]

I think you have spent too much time on the website. Go walk the development, there is quite a bit already in operation and it is certainly unique to anything in town.

With respect to the river north of SAMA, I think it will attract more river level attention than SAMA not to mention it is at the northernmost barge turn-a-round point which will bring visitors whether they knew it or not.

[majormadmax]

Originally Posted by pr57001

I think you have spent too much time on the website. Go walk the development, there is quite a bit already in operation and it is certainly unique to anything in town.

Thanks for the suggestion, but if you bothered to take some time and read my post you would realize that we have been there...

We visited the new section of the Riverwalk this past week...

On the weekday we went the place was dead. The brewery itself is nothing but a huge construction zone (yes, we drove and walked all around it). The steel building next to it, which I walked through and didn't see another soul around. We parked in the lot next to the river and saw a few joggers but that was it. We walked south all the way down past IH-35 and SAMA, and passed a few other folks, but just a few.

Overall, it is all nice but again I don't see how it is going to draw people that far north along the river other than those who take the river taxis.

We also saw the Stable but that appears to be a rental venue and that's it. And the brewery web site should not give the impression that there is much more there than there currently is. Had I been an out-of-town visitor, I would have been very disappointed...

[SnappyBob]

I've never been there during the week but I can imagine it was quite dead. As someone else stated #1 it's not finished yet and #2 the biggest thing happening there right now is the farmers market on Saturdays. That would be the time to go check it out. Pearl also does a pretty neat little 45-60 minute tour on Saturdays that should give you some insight on the Pearl complex past, present and future.

[wCat]

Originally Posted by majormadmax

Thanks for the suggestion, but if you bothered to take some time and read my post you would realize that we have been there...



On the weekday we went the place was dead. The brewery itself is nothing but a huge construction zone (yes, we drove and walked all around it). The steel building next to it, which I walked through and didn't see another soul around. We parked in the lot next to the river and saw a few joggers but that was it. We walked south all the way down past IH-35 and SAMA, and passed a few other folks, but just a few.

Overall, it is all nice but again I don't see how it is going to draw people that far north along the river other than those who take the river taxis.

We also saw the Stable but that appears to be a rental venue and that's it. And the brewery web site should not give the impression that there is much more there than there currently is. Had I been an out-of-town visitor, I would have been very disappointed...

I sounds like Dvlpr gave a pretty accurate account of the Pearl Plan. You may have just been expecting too much too soon. If you haven't been privvy to the planning phase, then it's logical that you can't see the vision that is underway. Hope your company can come back when they can appreciate what's going on at Pearl.

What's even more amazing was the property was almost gutted by fire in the middle of the early stages of construction. That was a huge set back...but they managed to pick up the pieces and restore so much of it. If you had seen Pearl 10 years ago, you probably wouldn't have given it a second look. It was all but abandoned and some doofuss of an owner painted the entire brewery a icky cream yellow....roof top to the ground...even the glass on the windows. Next time you go back, stop and look at the masterpiece in the center of the complex. It has been painstakingly restored BY HAND on scaffolding by an older artisan. This couldn't have been accomplished by a quickie sub contractor. This is restoring historical structures and adding a mixed use facilities to the area. It's bringing a LOT of life to that Northern reach of, not just the river, but the downtown city limits.

You probably would appreciate it more if you knew what it was like before. If you remain unimpressed, then cross it off your list of SA favorites. It's really no biggie....and not something that's debatable. You have your opinion and that's ok.