The operators of the Landmark Majestic Theater and Sherline McCombs Empire Theater add another live performance venue to their San Antonio line-up.
The Ambassador Theater Group is renovating the amphitheater and former train station at The Espie entertainment venue at 1173 E-Commerce Street, St. Paul Square. No opening date has been announced.
Ambassador Theater Group General Manager Emily Smith said:
“This is a great opportunity to be part of the growth of St. Paul Square,” she added. “We are really excited to be a part of what is happening in the region.”
Smith said the group also plans to work with community and business organizations that have already booked events at The Espee, including AlamoFest on Sept. 10. A lively evening extravaganza.
An EVO concert last brought a music show to the pavilion in 2019, and the property’s privately owned groups, Sunset Station LLC and East Commerce Realty, have booked several events since then.
St. Paul’s Square has seen a revitalization over the past year. A 1902 nightclub opened late last year in a 100-year-old former train station and his two hotels in the district have been renovated. A new restaurant, coffee shop, day spa and a jazz bar are due to open this fall. East of the tracks, Fort Worth-based Vaquero Ventures is planning his five-story apartment complex at 1220 E. Commerce St.
The Espe Ownership Group signed an agreement with Ambassador earlier this year to manage and revitalize the property, according to Don Thomas, managing partner of St. Paul Square.
“We are delighted to have such a professional company as ATG that clearly has the experience and expertise in this area,” says Thomas. “That’s not our expertise.”
Founded in the UK in 1992, the Ambassador Theater Group owns or operates 58 venues in the UK, Germany and the US. In 2015, Ambassador acquired ACE Theatrical Group, adding five more theaters to his US portfolio, including the city-owned Majestic and Empire.
In early 2019, Ambassador added the Smart Financial Center in Sugar Land, southwest of Houston, to its portfolio. This venue can seat up to 6,400 for concerts. The group also runs the King’s Theater, a music venue in Brooklyn.
The group set out to renovate The Espee to install artificial turf in the courtyard area, upgrade the bar inside the depot building, and improve the backstage area used by artists. There are plans to block public viewing from the street and add a fence to increase security.
On Wednesday, a historic and design review board rejected a request to increase the height of an existing plaster wall along Hofen Avenue by two feet and cover some of it with a clay tile screen. The commissioner and city staff will meet with the architects to discuss other options.
San Antonio may have a “three-wheeler” reputation when it comes to the frequency and variety of live music offerings in the city, especially compared to other places in Texas, but Smith said the new venue will I feel that I will succeed.
“The city has grown so much that there is room for even more live entertainment, and this is a different type of venue that offers a different experience,” she said.
Disclosure: San Antonio Reports is a tenant in St. Paul Square.
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