Entertaining with dignity Sprinkle-Robey Architects extends the romantic flavor of the River Walk while avoiding kitsch and pastiche. June 20, 1996.
Tourists like to eat and drink.
The magnetism of the River Walk owes much to its lush landscape, its romantic hardscape and the water itself, but much of its charm also stems from its architecture. Time and change are inscribed on the riparian facades. Through the layered accretions of balconies, potted plants, picture windows, umbrella tables and too-tasteful signs, you can still see the original frumpy brick backsides, some notched with light wells or separated from each other by narrow alleys that are now active pedestrian passages lined with stores. The creative dissonance between original function and current use gives the River Walk, a virtually complete artifice, its urban and urbane authenticity. Demand for further development sites has turned in the past two years to new construction.