Before Hemisfair ’68, Water Street was part of a neighborhood of homes, businesses, workshops, and gathering places southeast of downtown San Antonio. When the area was selected for urban renewal, properties were acquired by the San Antonio Urban Renewal Agency and residents and businesses were relocated to make way for the fairgrounds.
For some property owners, that process was contested.
In 1965, several property owners joined in lawsuit challenging the Urban Renewal Agency and the acquisition of their properties.
At the center of their challenge was the designation of the area as “slum blighted.” Such classifications were an important part of mid-century urban renewal programs, allowing local governments and redevelopment agencies to acquire property through eminent domain. The plaintiff disputed the application of that designation to their property and questioned the process through which it was being taken.
Their challenge ultimately did not prevent the redevelopment. The properties were acquired, businesses relocated, buildings demolished, and Water Street was substantially transformed as the Hemisfair site took shape. Historical records suggest that displaced businesses experienced a range of outcomes. Some successfully reopened elsewhere, while others struggled after relocation.
