Once the largest brewery in Texas, Pearl Brewery closed its doors in 1985. After 15 years lying derelict, the creative re-imagining of this 26-acre brownfield site and its neglected historic structures has drawn in a rich mix of new residents, local businesses, retail and non-profits, emphasizing community, conservation and local economic development.
For over a decade, Pearl's design has transformed the Brewery into a new community meeting ground where visionary private development and public space have produced a vibrant culinary and cultural destination. Pearl's redevelopment seeks to cultivate a meaningful urban experience around the historic Brewhouse through a phased renovation scheme and the adaptive reuse of many existing buildings. The strategic positioning of vehicular parking created a pedestrian-focused development symbiotic with the urbanism reflective of downtown San Antonio.
As the first mixed-use building at the Pearl, Full Goods Warehouse was the incubator for the subsequent phases of development. The 67,000 sf. LEED Gold building is a modern re-telling of the building's industrial past as a brewery warehouse (filled bottles = full goods). The original one-story building was adapted to include two floors that maximized density and provided live-work spaces for local businesses. The successful leasing of the live-work, office, retail and restaurant spaces encouraged the developer to move forward with future phases, creating a series of mixed-use buildings throughout the district.
The Pearl Brewery Redevelopment is a sustainable destination that maintained its iconic identity, upholding the legacy of the historic brewery while radically re-purposing key components of the complex. The completion of the first three phases, most significantly the adaptive reuse of Full Goods Warehouse, have ignited the planning and development of adjacent neighborhoods with the intentional focus on nurturing local business and residential life.
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