Alamo Renovation Plan Creates Controversy

A multi-million-dollar proposal to expand and upgrade the legendary Alamo historic site in Texas has become the source of an entirely new battle.

Plans unveiled by Land Commissioner George P. Bush call for quadrupling the site's size, restoring historical structures, closing surrounding streets and constructing a more than 100,000-square foot museum that would showcase artifacts and tell the story of The Alamo, the Associated Press reported.

Critics, however, say the plans are part of an effort to politically sanitize one of Texas' most famous sites, in the same vein as the recent removal of many Confederate monuments around the country.

As a quick refresher: 189 Texas independence fighters died at The Alamo, killed by Mexican General Santa Anna's troops in 1836 during the war for independence from Mexico.

Among the fighters killed were slave owners and slave traders.

The proposed project has been criticized by conservatives, some of whom are particularly concerned about what will happen to the Cenotaph, a 60-foot granite monument near The Alamo engraved with the names of those killed during the battle. The Associated Press reported the city of San Antonio would like to move the monument further away from The Alamo.

Critics suggest the true intentions are to banish it entirely.

Such concerns led to a protest at The Alamo this past weekend during which hundreds of people showed up, some wearing colonial costumes and others carrying signs that said: "Leave the Alamo Alone."

There may be another, uglier element of the controversy as well. Bush is the 41-year-old son of former Florida governor and presidential candidate Jeb and Mexican-born mother Columba. Critics say Bush's Hispanic heritage is not an issue. But during the protest, one participant shouted "Vote George P. Santa Anna Bush out of office" to applause, according to the Associated Press.

Bush has said he is not interested in revising The Alamo's story, but rather is seeking to improve the offerings.

"My focus isn't on the politics, it's on preserving the Alamo," Bush said via email, according to the Associated Press. "I'm focused on telling the story of the heroic battle for freedom - proudly, purposefully and better than ever before."

Supporters of the plan agree that the San Antonio historic site needs improvement, noting that the existing facility offers little for visitors to see. Some publications have even gone so far as to say in its current form, The Alamo is quite forgettable, retaining few of its original features and little education for visitors.

But the new plans would change that, supporters argue.

Among other things, the master plan calls for restoring some of the conditions of the mission and highlighting it as a place where indigenous families lived, worked and worshiped for centuries, as well as the site of the 13-day siege, the Houston Chronicle reported. To do all of this, The Alamo's public space would be increased from the current two acres to about 9.5 acres.

A group of San Antonio architects have objected to the proposal for a variety of reasons, including that it would remove heritage oak trees from the Alamo's plaza. About 2.5 million people visit the site each year.

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