Texas has teamed with two entities to acquire two historic hotels near the Alamo in San Antonio in a move to "strengthen the visitor experience at the Lone Star State's most visited historic site," officials said.
The Texas General Land Office, in partnership with Columbus, Ohio-based Rockbridge and Alamo Trust Inc., has purchased The Historic Menger Hotel and the Crockett Hotel for an undisclosed sum. Both properties, adjacent to the Alamo grounds, have not been available for purchase for decades, officials said. The two hotels are part of a larger portfolio acquisition by Rockbridge of four hotels totaling more than 1,000 rooms in Texas, according to CoStar data.
"By securing the footprint around the Alamo complex for the State of Texas, we are protecting these hallowed grounds and enhancing one of our nation's most sacred historical sites," said Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham in a statement. The state land office did not immediately respond to an emailed media request from CoStar News seeking additional information about the deal, including the state's stake in the acquisition.
The two historic hotels sit on land once part of the agricultural fields surrounding Mission San Antonio de Valero, an 18th-century Spanish mission that later became known as the Alamo.
The hotels have been part of the Alamo's legacy since 1859, said Kate Rogers, executive director of Alamo Trust Inc. The group is overseeing what it calls the Alamo Plan to advance generational preservation of the site.
The sale of these two hotels came at "just the right time," Rogers added.
The properties have played an important role in U.S. history. In particular, the historic Menger hotel has welcomed a long line of U.S. presidents, national leaders and cultural icons. Most famously, future president Theodore Roosevelt recruited his Rough Riders from inside the hotel's bar.
The Texas General Land Office and Alamo Trust are expected to team with Rockbridge on integrating the broader Alamo experience into the two hotels. The details of those plans were not immediately unveiled in talking about the acquisitions of the properties.