Description
San Antonio is considered one of the four unique cities in the United States for its fascinating history and diverse cultures. Every day, historians, newspaper columnists, and other writers, discover obscure events that embellish our popular past. This booklet narrates one such story during a transitional period of San Antonio progress. The idea for a hotel at the corner of Alamo and Market Streets was first proposed in 1962 by Anastacio ” Stacey” Farías to his employer, Mr. H.B. Zachry. Stacey, returning from an assignment in Hawaii, home base for a Nike-Zeus Missile Complex in Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, was impressed with support given to tourism by both the Hawaiian government and the private sector. Wit a detailed proposal and concept drawings, Stacey recommended that H.B. Zachry Construction Company build a hotel on the neglected River Walk to spur economic development. Only two restaurants were on the river level at the time. His objective also was to improve dormant night life for visitors. MR. Zachry was interested but negotiations with the owners broke down. Five years later, with the Hemisfait’68 World’s Fair on the horizon, Mr. Zachry saw the wisdom of the idea, resurrected the plans, and worked out a deal with the owners. Stacey was in Spain at the time on another assignment. With limited time available, the hotel was built with the experimental modular method. The project became an international sensation; the crown jewel of the company’s many projects. Time Magazine called it “The Instant Hotel.” It is also the story of one dedicated company man like many of his men and women co-workers, whose lives and careers paralleled, and were intertwined, with the rise of Mr. H.B. Zachry and his international construction empire, from its humble beginnings in a South Texas border town. These loyal hard-working staffers supported and contributed to the empathetic management and entrepreneurial skills of Mr. H.B. Zachry.
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