Pearl
Pearl
The placemaking and programming strategies have helped lend The Pearl an unmistakable authenticity and visitor appeal.
The historic Pearl Brewery was an icon of a past era in San Antonio, which salsa entrepreneur Kit Goldsbury bought in 2001 to develop as a mixed-use destination. The vacant complex of abandoned buildings across 22 acres needed a creative approach to achieve its goal to create a new destination in the city, starting from basically scratch.
Phil Myrick, working with PPS, helped developer Silver Ventures create an experiential plan that focused development decisions in ways that have created an inspiring environment that surpasses any other urban experience in the city. Using placemaking principles, the outdoor spaces create a sequence of destinations that lead visitors through the district. Working with the ground floor building program as well, this placemaking approach is a way to focus development decisions on a peak experience for visitors, which brings them back over and over again.
Pearl’s mix of indoor and outdoor uses adds up to an experience that feels like a downtown district, but with a more curated feel, and with an emphasis on food. The Pearl has become one of the most talked-about and visited projects in the San Antonio region. With anchors like the Culinary Arts Institute and boutique hotel, Emma, this new district easily rivals downtown as a nightlife destination. Pearl’s sense of place has also sparked unprecedented adjacent development in the surrounding area north of downtown.
The placemaking and programming strategies have helped lend The Pearl an unmistakable authenticity and visitor appeal.
