1929 Neo-Gothic San Antonio Tower Poised for Major Transformation

The historic, 31-story, neo-gothic Tower-Life Building in San Antonio, Texas, is set to undergo a multimillion-dollar transformation into a mixed-use property featuring 234 apartments overlooking the Riverwalk starting in 2024, KSAT reports. On the National Register of Historic Places, the building was originally called the Smith-Young Tower and housed the city’s flagship Sears and Roebuck department store with offices above when it opened in 1929. It is topped by an eight-sided, green-glazed roof that has become a San Antonio landmark. Previously owned for 70 years by the local Zachry family, the tower is being redeveloped by Jon Wiegand of Alamo Capital Partners in partnership with Bexar County, developer Ed Cross and the prominent local McCombs family. Interior photographs captured by a Tripadvisor contributor show beautiful Art Deco elevator doors as well as a massive Otis freight elevator that once served the Sears store.