A Key Player in Writing the Next Chapter of Downtown San Antonio’s Legacy
By Blithe Wiley | Photography by David Teran
San Antonio’s downtown area has served as the heart of the city for over 300 years, with its roots tracing from the establishment of Mission San Antonio de Valero, today known as the Alamo, in 1718. Over the centuries, downtown San Antonio continued to build a cultural and historical legacy, from the 19th century cattle drives and the Chili Queens selling food in the downtown plazas, to the creation of the River Walk in the 1930s, the 1968 Hemisfair World’s Fair, and myriad additional milestones along the way.
Today, downtown San Antonio is poised to write the next chapters of its rich and colorful history as it undergoes a massive multi-billion-dollar revitalization. This includes upgrades to Hemisfair, the River Walk, La Villita, and the creation of the new Project Marvel Sports and Entertainment District. These projects are moving toward fruition, along with the expansion of UT San Antonio’s downtown campus and development of additional hospitality projects and green spaces.
Trish DeBerry, CEO of Centro San Antonio, is one of the civic leaders at the forefront of shaping downtown San Antonio’s future. DeBerry, who assumed the helm of Centro San Antonio in July 2023, has spent decades championing various community initiatives as a founding partner of the public relations and marketing firm Guerra DeBerry Coody and as the CEO of The DeBerry Group, along with serving on the boards of numerous community organizations.
DeBerry said these experiences and her personal philosophy are what led her to her current role at Centro San Antonio. “I’ve always been driven by a relentless discontent with the status quo,” she explained. “San Antonio is a great city – and downtown is the key to its greatness.”
According to DeBerry, the three biggest challenges facing the downtown corridor today are the lack of housing, the lack of corporate headquarters, and homelessness.
DeBerry explained that one of Centro’s key roles is to give people reasons to come downtown to live, work, and play. “In addition, we want to create an environment downtown where companies want to relocate here.”
Central to this vision is Project Marvel, the $1.3 billion downtown redevelopment plan anchored by a brand-new arena for the San Antonio Spurs, which also includes expansion of the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, upgrades to the Alamodome, a mixed-use entertainment district, and more. “Going forward, downtown San Antonio will be bookended by the new San Antonio Missions’ ballpark on the West side and the new state-of-the-art Spurs arena on the East side,” said DeBerry.
According to DeBerry, housing of all types is a critically important element to achieving this vision. “Unfortunately, we don’t have a lot of housing in the pipeline. My hope is that within a couple of years, we’ll see a more friendly financing atmosphere for housing development.”
Key to Centro San Antonio’s mission to create a clean, safe, and welcoming urban core for residents, visitors, and businesses are the Centro Ambassadors. This highly visible team works to elevate the downtown experience through quality-of-life outreach, litter abatement, landscaping, sidewalk cleaning, and more. “Our 120 Ambassadors are the heart and soul of Centro San Antonio, and I love them to pieces,” she said.
DeBerry said that homelessness is another vexing issue that Centro works on every single day. Specialized teams of Ambassadors composed of former and retired police officers help the unsheltered downtown population connect with community resources such as temporary housing, medical care, and crisis intervention services. “These teams have years of training in de-escalation techniques. They have been a game changer in creating a safer downtown environment.”
Another one of the top priorities for Centro San Antonio is focusing on community activation. “When I got to Centro, I said we’re bringing Christmas and Fourth of July back to downtown. This is why we started the Holidays on Houston Street and the Stars and Stripes on Houston Street.”
Holidays on Houston Street is a 10-day winter festival reminiscent of the storied German Christmas Markets. It transforms a five-block stretch of Houston Street into a winter wonderland with twinkling lights, artisan crafts, local food, and festive holiday music. Stars and Stripes on Houston Street, presented by USAA, is a patriotic celebration of Independence Day, with activities ranging from a 5K run, the Stars and Stripes Parade, the Stars and Stripes Music and Food Fest, to the downtown fireworks celebration held at Civic Park at Hemisfair.
“These events give people a reason to come downtown and have a great experience. Then, they go and tell their friends and neighbors about what a great time they had.”
“Downtown San Antonio is a jewel,” DeBerry emphasized. “It has a soul like no other city, with its art, history, culture, and architecture. Every downtown block tells a story. Downtown San Antonio is truly the very heart and soul of our city.”
