<\/p>\n
Historic Market Square as we know it today was unveiled 50 years ago this month.<\/p>\n
Billy Calzada\/Staff photographer<\/p>\n
It\u2019s hard to imagine the vibrant Market Square was once an area in decline.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Its rebirth into a place that has received national recognition <\/a>as a top tourist spot and cultural destination happened largely because a group of merchants and concerned residents wanted to ensure the area\u2019s rich history was preserved.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Besides attracting tourists, the spot\u2019s pop-up vendors and established merchants have drawn locals, too. From live music events to food-focused happenings, to Fiesta and the Christmas holiday season, the three-block site off West Commerce Street is deeply rooted in the city\u2019s history.<\/p>\n ALSO READ: City board approves $15M makeover of San Antonio\u2019s Main Plaza<\/a><\/p>\n San Antonio Explained looks at the origins, development and lasting legacy of Historic Market Square<\/a>\u00a0as its revitalization into what we know today commemorates 50 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n Its origins<\/p>\n Public markets where produce and commodities were sold have been a part of San Antonio\u2019s history since its beginning.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cMarket Square is heir to all of the markets of San Antonio\u2019s 300-year past,\u201d historian Mary Ann\u00a0Noonan Guerra wrote in her 1988 book \u201cThe History of San Antonio\u2019s Market Square.\u201d<\/p>\n Market Square sits on land that is part of the original 1730 ejido that was a gift from the King of Spain for settlers in the region to use. An\u00a0ejido is an area of communal land intended to be used mostly for farming and agriculture.<\/p>\n The city, located about 150 miles from the Mexico border, was considered vital for trade. A marketplace where farmers could sell their products and that could serve as a central spot for trade was necessary to develop the area.<\/p>\n Spain wanted to populate the region with loyal settlers in order to prevent French encroachment from Louisiana and the Matagorda Bay area, according to historians.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Its decline<\/p>\n A big change came to downtown San Antonio in 1951, when a group of about 30 produce wholesalers pooled their resources to build a private, modern $2.5-million Terminal Market on\u00a0Zarzamora Street.<\/p>\n Dozens of vendors who occupied stalls in the city-owned Farmers Market building off West Commerce Street moved to the new spot. This led to a drop in foot traffic, and ultimately resulted in a decline in \u201cenergetic street life\u201d in the area, according to historical accounts.<\/p>\n Also contributing to the decline in business for produce sellers were changes in shopping habits, spurred by the growth in supermarkets where a variety of products could be purchased in one stop.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n ALSO READ: San Antonio Explained: How ‘La Veladora’ became a West Side landmark<\/a><\/p>\n Many Farmers Market merchants were determined to stay. Some took out an ad in the Sept. 14, 1952 edition of the San Antonio Express that declared their intention to keep \u201cdoing business at the same ole stand.\u201d The merchants, many of whom worked in family-run businesses, were committed to continue working where their ancestors had started.\u00a0<\/p>\n As business continued to decline, the city rented the Farmers Market building<\/a> and its surrounding space for events, including Cinco de Mayo celebrations, charity rummage sales and wrestling matches.\u00a0<\/p>\n Its development<\/p>\n By the late 1960s, the merchants who stayed at the Farmers Market, along with local conservationists, persuaded city officials to create a committee that would look at ways to revive the area.\u00a0This led to voters passing a city bond in 1970 that funded the market\u2019s renovation.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The transition from a produce market into a space that included a refurbished plaza and an enclosed air-conditioned market known today as El Mercado was funded as part of the $50 million Rosa Verde Urban Renewal project, records show. As part of the renovation, three city blocks bounded by Dolorosa, Santa Rosa and West Commerce Streets were turned into pedestrian malls, with stone fountains, ornamental streetlights, trees and benches installed.<\/p>\n The renovated Market Square was dedicated on Sept. 30, 1976, with ceremonies that kicked off four days of festivities, according to San Antonio Public Library archives.\u00a0<\/p>\n ALSO READ: A Market Square tradition comes to an end as Los Pueblitos prepares to close<\/a><\/p>\n Its current role<\/p>\n The types of activities that started to fill Market Square in the years before its renovation continued, as Fiesta events, holiday tamaladas, music fan fairs and regular weekend events have taken place over the years. And it\u2019s home to a few longtime merchants, notably Mi Tierra Cafe y Panader\u00eda,\u00a0an icon of the city\u2019s downtown landscape<\/a>.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Though Historic Market Square has been criticized for catering too much to tourists, others recognize that its shops and eateries reflect San Antonio\u2019s history.<\/p>\n \u201cWe see it as just a treasured cultural facility,\u201d Mark Jenkins, the Market Square manager for the city of San Antonio, told the Express-News in 2015. \u201cIt really gives tourists from all over the country a chance to see some of our great Hispanic, Mexican traditions.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Historic Market Square as we know it today was unveiled 50 years ago this month. 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