San Antonio Museum of Art

Housed in the former Lone Star Brewery on the San Antonio River, the San Antonio Museum of Art occupies a complex built between 1895 and 1904, its twin towers and crenellated parapets still marking the site on Jones Avenue. The brewery closed during Prohibition and later served as a cotton mill, ice factory, and auto repair shop before falling into disrepair; museum director Jack McGregor rediscovered the building in 1971, and philanthropist Nancy Brown Negley helped lead the effort to convert it. Following a $7.2 million renovation by Cambridge Seven Associates, the museum opened to the public in 1981. Today the museum spans more than twelve acres and holds nearly 30,000 works of art representing six continents and more than 5,000 years of human creativity. The museum evaluates a limited number of private event rentals each year, offering planners a singular downtown location, historic buildings and grounds, proximity to the San Antonio River, and access to its art collection for weddings, corporate functions, and other gatherings.