UTSA was created in 1969, ran its first offices out of the Institute of Texan Cultures at HemisFair Park, and opened its Main Campus in the Hill Country brush northwest of the city in September 1975. Architects O'Neil Ford and Milton Babbitt of Ford, Powell & Carson planned it like a hilltop village, with sand-colored concrete buildings, shaded walkways, and a central plaza. This short walk circles that original core: the plaza and fountain that give the university its favorite word, the bronze mascot, the first library, the old arena, and the test block Ford poured before any building rose.
UTSA was created by the Texas Legislature in 1969, ran its first offices out of the Institute of Texan Cultures at HemisFair Park, and opened its Main Campus in the Hill Country brush northwest of San Antonio in 1975. Architects O'Neil Ford and Milton Babbitt of Ford, Powell & Carson planned it like a hilltop village, with sand-colored concrete buildings, shaded walkways and a central plaza, and this short walk circles that original core.
The heart of it all is the Sombrilla, Spanish for umbrella, a shaded plaza and fountain that Babbitt later called the nicest non-building he ever designed. Students say that touching the fountain wall during finals week brings good grades, and the name has spread to the university's magazine. At the top of the nearby stairs stands a half-ton bronze of Rowdy the Roadrunner, paid for by a student-led drive that raised more than $25,000 in a single week. Students chose the roadrunner as mascot in 1977 after a runoff against the armadillo.
The John Peace Library, opened in 1976, was imagined by founding president Arleigh Templeton as four football fields stacked on top of one another. Most surprising of all is a small test structure Ford's team poured to see how the new beige concrete would look in the brush before any building rose, kept standing as a reminder of where everything began.
It is a quick, story-filled walk for alumni, prospective students and anyone curious about Texas modern architecture.
It is a self-guided walking tour: 5 stops, about 1 miles, ~40 min. Go at your own pace; the app keeps your place.
Where does it start?
In San Antonio, Texas. The exact starting point, the full stop list and turn-by-turn directions are in the TexasRoam app.
How do I take this tour?
Download TexasRoam for iPhone or iPad from the App Store. The tour is included with TexasRoam+. It is not available on the web map.
When is the best time to go?
Daylight hours, ideally on a weekday during the semester when campus buildings such as the John Peace Library are open.
Take the “UTSA Campus Tour”
Texas Roam guides you turn by turn through San Antonio with maps, audio narration and check-ins as you go — plus all 5 stops on this tour and every guided tour, hiking trail and historical marker across Texas. Get it on the App Store.
Guided tours & hiking trails are available only in the TexasRoam app for iPhone & iPad — not on the web map. Free to download; unlock with TexasRoam+.
