Suchergebnisse

Raba Kistner Environmental, Inc. (RKEI), was contracted by K FRIESE + ASSOCIATES (CLIENT), on behalf of San Antonio Water System (SAWS), to perform cultural resources monitoring investigations for the Parland Place Water and Sewer Replacement Project in San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas. The undertaking involved the installation of a new sewer main, water main, and associated service connections within the Parland Place right-of-way (ROW) in northeastern downtown San Antonio. The Project Area began at the Parland Place–Broadway Street intersection and extended east for approximately 2,420 feet (738 meters [m]), intersecting Milton Street and Bellview Street, before terminating at New Braunfels Avenue. Each new main was installed within its own utility easement, parallel to one another within the center and southern street ROWs; however, the new sewer main was only installed within two sections of the Project Area, while the new water main extended the entire length of the Project Area. A preliminary review by the City of San Antonio (COSA) Office of Historic Preservation (OHP) determined that archaeological monitoring was required for the Project Area given that Acequia Madre de Valero was projected as crossing Parland Place, 500 feet (152 m) east of its intersection with Broadway Street. For archaeological purposes, the initial APE consisted of a 300 foot (91 m) section of the proposed alignment, beginning 330 feet (101 m) east of Broadway Street. However, monitoring investigations were extended 50 feet (15 m) to the west in order to investigate a grassy ditch that was observed within the Project Area. The total area monitored for the project included a 350-foot APE, or 0.03-acres of disturbance for both water and sewer main installations. The project was located on lands controlled by the COSA, a political subdivision of the State of Texas. As such, the project is subject to review under the City of San Antonio's Unified Development Code (UDC) (Chapter 35 Article VI), as well as the Antiquities Code of Texas (ACT; Texas Natural Resource Code, Title 9, Chapter 191). Steve Tomka served as the Principal Investigator and all work was conducted under the Texas Antiquities Committee (TAC) Permit No. 8371. Rhiana D. Ward served as Project Archaeologist, and fieldwork was conducted by Chris Matthews, Rhiana D. Ward, and Jason Whitaker. In August-October 2018, RKEI conducted cultural resources monitoring for the SAWS Parland Place Water and Sewer Main Installation Project. No cultural deposits or features of any temporal affiliation were observed during project excavations; however, field observations of the general Project Area identified a grassy ditch to the northwest of the APE, within an empty residential lot. The ditch measured between 6.5 to 8 feet (2 and 2.5 m) wide, approximately 12 to 18 inches (30 to 46 cm) deep, and projected at a 186-degree orientation. It is possible that the grassy ditch to the north of the Project Area is a remnant of the acequia, however, any subsurface evidence of the channel had been destroyed during the installation/construction of a 33 foot-long concrete utility observed during water main excavations. The ditch was photo documented, but because the private lot was located beyond the project boundary, no subsurface investigations could be conducted to verify the nature of the ditch. Overall, no cultural deposits or features of any temporal affiliation were observed during the excavations of the SAWS Parland Place Water and Sewer Main Installation Project. As such RKEI does not recommend any further archaeological investigations within the areas monitored. However, should additional excavations in the APE occur, further work may be required. All field records and photographs will be curated at the University of Texas at San Antonio Center for Archaeological Research.

In May and June, 2018, Raba Kistner Environmental, Inc. (RKEI) was contracted by Davila Construction, Inc. (CLIENT), to conduct archaeological monitoring of construction associated with utility installations for the City Annex Project. The Project Area is located within a lot between Dolorosa and Nueva Streets in Downtown San Antonio, Bexar County Texas. The proposed project is located on lands controlled by the City of San Antonio (COSA) a political subdivision of the State of Texas. As such, the proposed project is subject to review under the City of San Antonio's Unified Development Code (UDC) (Chapter 35 Article VI) and the Antiquities Code of Texas (ACT; Texas Natural Resource Code, Title 9). All work was conducted under ACT Permit No. 8416 with Steve A. Tomka serving as Principal Investigator. Field work was conducted by Project Archaeologist Chris Matthews and Chris Murray. During the investigations, a majority of the APE showed evidence of disturbance. Disturbances included existing utilities, previous construction, and landscaping. Monitoring of the excavations revealed that intact soils were only present in the northeastern portion of the APE. Excavations for Trench 7 (T-7) identified a yellow brick and limestone feature that was documented as 41BX2247. The site is likely the structural foundation associated with a blacksmith shop identified on late nineteenth to early twentieth Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps. Excavations for Trench 8 also identified structural foundation remains, documented as 41BX2248. Site 41BX2248 consisted of a limestone foundation likely associated with a residential dwelling illustrated on the late nineteenth to early twentieth Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps. Both sites are recommended as not significant due to a lack of integrity. Neither site is considered contributing element to the Main and Military Plazas National Register Historic District. RKEI does not recommend any further archaeological investigations within the areas monitored. However, should additional excavations of trenches in the Project Area occur, further work may be required and archival research is recommended for sites 41BX2247 and 41BX2248. All field records and photographs produced during investigations are curated at the Center for Archaeological Research at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

From April 2013 to November 2014, the Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) conducted archaeological monitoring and test excavations at the site of the 1722 Presidio San Antonio de Bexar, also known in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries as the Plaza de Armas Buildings (Vogel Belt Complex) within Military Plaza in San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas. The project was performed for Ford, Powell and Carson, Architects and Planners, Inc. under contract with the City of San Antonio in anticipation of renovations and improvements to the Plaza de Armas Buildings (Vogel Belt Complex) to serve as offices and studios for the City of San Antonio. The complex is listed as contributing to the Main and Military Plaza National Register of Historic Places District, with the buildings listed individually on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). In addition to the above, the property is owned by the City of San Antonio. Compliance with the Antiquities Code of Texas was required. As such, the State Antiquities Code and Chapter 35 of the San Antonio Local Government Code that require coordination with the City Office of Historic Preservation and the Texas Historical Commission Divisions of Archaeology and Architecture govern the undertakings. CAR, therefore, conducted the work under Texas Antiquities Committee Permit No. 6526. Dr. Steve A. Tomka served as the Principal Investigator for the majority of the fieldwork, the initial analysis, and the description of materials collected. Kristi Nichols served as the Project Archaeologist during this initial monitoring and testing, assisted by Lindy Martinez. Both Dr. Tomka and Ms. Nichols left UTSA in 2014, and Dr. Raymond Mauldin assumed the Principal Investigator role for the project. Clinton McKenzie and Leonard Kemp were the Project Archaeologists for the final phases of monitoring, as well as for assembling the final report. Leonard Kemp oversaw additional test excavation. Trinomial 41BX2088 was assigned to the location. Principal activities during the project included monitoring trenches on the complex's exterior, monitoring soil removal in sections of the interior, and hand excavations of a series of units in the basement. These basement excavations produced a variety of materials. CAR staff documented eight features, including several trash pits, recovered a variety of Spanish Colonial, Native American, and European/English ceramics, along with faunal material, chipped stone tools and debitage, and construction related items. It was concluded that much of this material was intact, and that additional features and midden deposits are present. The project provides direct evidence of materials associated with the Presidio de Bexar, built by the Spanish at this general location in 1722, as well as occupation in this area through the early twentieth century. CAR recommends that prior to any impacts in the basements, or any external impacts greater than 2.0 m in depth at the rear of the Plaza de Armas Buildings (Vogel Belt Complex), a comprehensive, systematic effort to recover significant data be initiated.