The Shops at La Cantera


The Shops at La Cantera is an open-air regional shopping mall located in La Cantera, San Antonio, near the Texas State Highway Loop 1604 and Interstate 10 interchange, on the city's Northwest Side. The initial phase of the project opened on September 16, 2005. The center sits on a site in La Cantera, a master-planned resort community developed by USAA Real Estate Company. La Cantera is also home to Six Flags Fiesta Texas, La Cantera Resort & Spa and two world-class golf courses, The Palmer Course at La Cantera and the Resort Course, which was home to the PGA Valero Texas Open.

Design

The concept for the center was originally developed and conceived by The Rouse Company under a joint venture with USAA Real Estate Company. General Growth Properties acquired The Rouse Company in November 2004.
The Shops at La Cantera were designed by the local architectural firm Alamo Architects. The shopping center was constructed as a single-level, garden-like "retail village" with varied storefronts, shared arcades, and subtle water features. The overall architectural style of the center has a Texas Hill Country vernacular vibe that was designed to solve environmental concerns about land usage and nature conservation. The shops reflect the preservation of natural landscape and evolutions in modern-day shopping patterns. The landscape architecture style, that also reflects Hill Country, was conceived by J. Robert Anderson, FASLA of Austin.
The Shops at La Cantera includes the first Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom in San Antonio and new stores from Dillard's and Foley's. There are also more than 150 other shops and restaurants.
The second phase of the mall was opened in October 2008 and had 300,000 new square feet of retail space and contained an additional 40 stores, restaurants, a large bookstore, and Class A office space. Like the original mall, the second phase was designed by Alamo Architects.

Awards