Emerging district, Pearl in San Antonio, is adding to its coterie of cool with a roster of restaurants, bars and shops, that are redefining an area that was once home to the city’s industrial hub.
New York-based design firm Roman and William’s have added extra kudos to this mix, taking on the colossal revamp of the 19th-Century Pearl Brewery by architect August Maritzen. The duo, whose previous projects include the Ace, Viceroy and Highline hotels in New York have proved that they do sympathetic restoration well, and the 143-roomed Hotel Emma named in homage to the brewery owner’s wife and San Antonio darling Emma Koehler, with its locavore culinary offerings and clubby bar further exemplify this.
Rooms in the brewhouse tower feature chipped plaster walls kept fresh with hand-crafted white oak and caramel leather sofas strewn with rough natural linens but our pick has to be the Terrace Room, replete with an 86sq ft Redondo-tiled balcony and custom-made mesquite bench, they provide a respite from the bustle of the city down below, looking out across leafy River Walk.
Despite sporting a dramatic 25-foot vaulted ceiling the Sternewirth bar, named for the traditional brewery ‘privilege’ that allowed its employers to drink in taprooms for free, manages to summon a cosy atmosphere, and though there are no gratis suds these days San Antonians flock to swill prohibition-inspired cocktails from the comfort of custom-made beer-tank banquettes.
INFORMATION
ADDRESS
136 East Grayson
PHOTOGRAPHY
Jason Risner
-
Nela is London's new stage for open-fire gastronomyA beloved Amsterdam import brings live-fire elegance to The Whiteley’s grand revival
-
How we host: with Our Place founder, Shiza ShahidWelcome, come on in, and take a seat at Wallpaper*s new series 'How we host' where we dissect the art of entertaining. Here, we speak to Our Place founder Shiza Shahid on what makes the perfect dinner party, from sourcing food in to perfecting the guest list, and yes, Michelle Obama is invited
-
Matteo Thun carves a masterful thermal retreat into the Canadian RockiesBasin Glacial Waters, a project two decades in the making, finally surfaces at Lake Louise, blurring the boundaries between architecture and terrain
-
Welcome to Polymath Park, where you can spend the night in a Frank Lloyd Wright masterpieceA pair of determined Wright devotees have turned four endangered modernist houses into an overnight design retreat
-
Faena New York just landed in the Big Apple – and it's an excuse for a good timeArgentine hotelier Alan Faena’s first New York address serves up high-octane hospitality with a dash of leopard print
-
These vintage American motels will have you longing for the open road‘Vintage Motels’ documents how the humble roadside stopover has evolved into a design-led destination for a new generation of travellers
-
At Duryea’s Sunset Cottages in The Hamptons, it’s all about stillness and open horizonsA beloved Hampton restaurant becomes a tucked-away retreat set on a windswept bluff above Fort Pond Bay in Montauk
-
The return of Genghis Cohen: LA’s cult Chinese diner lives onThe 1980s Chinese-American landmark returns with red booths, neon nostalgia, and a fresh dose of Hollywood eccentricity
-
A24 just opened a restaurant in New York, and it’s as cinematic as you’d expectHidden in the West Village, Wild Cherry pairs a moody, arthouse sensibility with a supper-style menu devised by the team behind Frenchette
-
Seven kitchens, one fire: inside LA’s hottest new food marketAt Maydan Market, chef Rose Previte turns global street food and layered design into a vibrant, fire-lit experience
-
The Viceroy Hotel Group wants you to get on your bikeAcross properties in Santa Monica, Chicago, Washington DC and the Algarve, Viceroy guests can experience curated cycling routes and community events
