Holiday Inn Express Riverwalk Area

Holiday Inn Express Riverwalk Area is a hotel property in downtown San Antonio, Texas, associated with the Holiday Inn Express lodging network operated under InterContinental Hotels Group. The property is identified in reference material as the Holiday Inn Express San Antonio N-Riverwalk Area and was formerly known as the Comfort Inn Alamo/Riverwalk. Unlike a purpose-built contemporary hotel, it occupies a five-story historic building whose institutional use predates the lodging operation by more than a century. The building was constructed in 1878 as the Bexar County Jail. Its original design was prepared by architect Alfred Giles as a two-story limestone structure containing twenty jail cells. Population growth in San Antonio led to an expansion and remodeling by Henry T. Phelps, who added a third floor in 1912 and altered the building in the Mission Revival style. A further major redesign took place in 1926 under architects Atlee and Robert Ayres. That work added two more floors, changed the window arrangement, created a projecting entrance with an arched porch, and introduced the brick-faced appearance associated with the present exterior. The jail remained in service until 1962, when a replacement facility was completed. The older building subsequently served public-administration and records functions, including use as the County Election Center and Archives Building. From 1983 onward, it was used for private and municipal records storage before that role ended around 2000. A rehabilitation project in 2002 repainted the structure to bring greater emphasis to its brick façade details. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The property also carries the informal historical nickname “Shrimp Hotel.” This name was a local double entendre connected with Camaron Street, or Calle del Camarón. The Spanish word refers to shrimp, while the nearby San Pedro Creek was historically associated with plentiful crawfish during the Spanish colonial period; the former jail’s nickname therefore became a play on both the street name and its institutional function. As a hotel, the property offers conventional short-term accommodation under the Holiday Inn Express positioning, generally centered on practical lodging rather than a full-service resort model. Its principal differentiator is the adaptive reuse of a landmark building close to San Antonio’s downtown attractions and River Walk district. Publicly supplied reference material does not establish the hotel’s opening year, current ownership, management arrangement, room count, executives, financial performance, or detailed amenities. Those fields remain unspecified rather than inferred.

The structure now associated with Holiday Inn Express Riverwalk Area began its life in 1878 as the Bexar County Jail in downtown San Antonio. Architect Alfred Giles designed the first version as a two-story limestone building with twenty jail cells. The facility was expanded as San Antonio grew: Henry T. Phelps added a third floor and remodeled the building in 1912, giving it Mission Revival characteristics. In 1926, architects Atlee and Robert Ayres carried out a second major expansion. Their work added two floors, reorganized the windows, and created a projecting entrance with an arched porch. The building was also faced in brick, producing the exterior appearance that remains associated with the property. These successive alterations transformed the original jail into the five-story historic structure known today. A new county jail opened in 1962, ending the building’s long role as a correctional facility. The former jail then became the County Election Center and Archives Building. In 1983, it entered a period of records-related use, first as a private records-storage facility and later as a city records-storage facility. That use continued until approximately 2000. The building underwent rehabilitation in 2002, including repainting intended to highlight details in the brick façade. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Its historical identity was also preserved through the nickname “Shrimp Hotel,” a phrase linked to Camaron Street, whose name derives from the Spanish word for shrimp and was associated locally with crawfish found in nearby San Pedro Creek during the Spanish colonial period. Following its conversion to hotel use, the property operated first under the Comfort Inn Alamo/Riverwalk name and later became associated with Holiday Inn Express. The hotel is described as the Holiday Inn Express San Antonio N-Riverwalk Area and serves visitors to central San Antonio. The available reference material does not provide a precise conversion date, details of the development transaction, room inventory, ownership, management, or current operating executives.

• 2002

  Historic rehabilitation

  [1]Holiday Inn Express Riverwalk Areaen.wikipedia.org

  A rehabilitation project repainted the structure to emphasize details of its brick façade.

• 2000

  Municipal records use ends

  [1]Holiday Inn Express Riverwalk Areaen.wikipedia.org

  The building’s city records-storage role ended around this time before its later hotel conversion.

• 1983

  Records-storage period begins

  [1]Holiday Inn Express Riverwalk Areaen.wikipedia.org

  The building began use as a private records-storage facility and later served municipal records-storage needs.

• 1962

  Jail function ends

  [1]Holiday Inn Express Riverwalk Areaen.wikipedia.org

  A new jail opened, and the historic building was repurposed as the County Election Center and Archives Building.

• 1926

  Major Ayres expansion

  [1]Holiday Inn Express Riverwalk Areaen.wikipedia.org

  Atlee and Robert Ayres added two floors, revised the windows, created an arched entrance porch, and introduced the brick-faced exterior.

• 1912

  Third-floor addition and remodeling

  [1]Holiday Inn Express Riverwalk Areaen.wikipedia.org

  Henry T. Phelps expanded the building with a third floor and remodeled it in the Mission Revival style.

• 1878

  Construction of the county jail

  [1]Holiday Inn Express Riverwalk Areaen.wikipedia.org

  A two-story limestone Bexar County Jail designed by Alfred Giles was constructed in downtown San Antonio with twenty cells.

Midscale, practical hotel accommodation in a historically significant downtown San Antonio building near the River Walk.

• Hotel accommodation

  Guest rooms

  Short-term lodging provided within a converted five-story historic structure near downtown San Antonio’s River Walk. The supplied reference identifies the accommodation function but does not specify room categories, room count, or detailed in-room amenities.

• Heritage accommodation

  Historic-building hotel experience

  The property’s principal distinctive offering is accommodation in a former county jail and records facility dating from 1878. Its preserved historic context and National Register listing distinguish it from a standard contemporary roadside hotel.

1. 1Holiday Inn Express Riverwalk Areaen.wikipedia.org