Photo: Historic And Design Review Commission

The slanted Liberty Bar building is on track to become a new restaurant at the Pearl after a plan to rehabilitate it won initial approval from the city on Wednesday.

The slanted Liberty Bar building is on track to become a new restaurant at the Pearl after a plan to rehabilitate it won initial approval from the city on Wednesday.

The HDRC also gave a thumbs-up to a proposal by downtown developer GrayStreet Partners to renovate the Depression-era Light building into creative office space.

The HDRC also gave a thumbs-up to a proposal by downtown developer GrayStreet Partners to renovate the Depression-era Light building into creative office space.

The HDRC is asking for a few changes to the design, such as the removal of a small tower that GrayStreet wanted to add, according to the meetings agenda.

The HDRC is asking for a few changes to the design, such as the removal of a small tower that GrayStreet wanted to add, according to the meetings agenda.

Pearl developer Silver Ventures wants to renovate the 1890s-era Liberty Bar and move it down the street, away from the off-ramp of US 281 and next to restaurants like Down on Grayson and Osteria Il Sogno.

Pearl developer Silver Ventures wants to renovate the 1890s-era Liberty Bar and move it down the street, away from the off-ramp of US 281 and next to restaurants like Down on Grayson and Osteria Il Sogno.

Click ahead to see other projects and plans from GrayStreet Partners High-profile local developer GrayStreet Partners is under contract to buy the historic San Antonio Light building from Hearst.

Click ahead to see other projects and plans from GrayStreet Partners High-profile local developer GrayStreet Partners is under contract to buy the historic San Antonio Light building from Hearst.

Local developer GrayStreet Partners has bought about 3.5 acres of real estate around the Pearls main entrance over the last few years.

Local developer GrayStreet Partners has bought about 3.5 acres of real estate around the Pearls main entrance over the last few years.

A pedestrian stands at the corner of Houston Street and St. Mary's Street across from the Hotel Valencia, one of the buildings in the deal announced Monday.

A pedestrian stands at the corner of Houston Street and St. Mary's Street across from the Hotel Valencia, one of the buildings in the deal announced Monday.

The sun lights the art deco features of the Kress Building along East Houston Street. The building was part of the deal between GrayStreet Partners and Federal Realty.

The sun lights the art deco features of the Kress Building along East Houston Street. The building was part of the deal between GrayStreet Partners and Federal Realty.

A valet runs by the Kress building now owned by San Antonio-based GrayStreet Partners.

A valet runs by the Kress building now owned by San Antonio-based GrayStreet Partners.

A cyclist rides along East Houston Street by the Bohanan's building. The building, that includes the Cato & Cato offices on the left, is now owned by GrayStreet Partners.

A cyclist rides along East Houston Street by the Bohanan's building. The building, that includes the Cato & Cato offices on the left, is now owned by GrayStreet Partners.

A woman walks by the Cato & Cato offices housed in the Frost Bros. Building on the 200 block of East Houston Street.

A woman walks by the Cato & Cato offices housed in the Frost Bros. Building on the 200 block of East Houston Street.

Pedestrians walk along 200 East Houston Street by property now owned by GrayStreet Partners.

Pedestrians walk along 200 East Houston Street by property now owned by GrayStreet Partners.

Pedestrians walk by the Walgreens building at 300 East Houston Street, now owned by GrayStreet Partners.

Pedestrians walk by the Walgreens building at 300 East Houston Street, now owned by GrayStreet Partners.

Historic commission approves rehabs of Liberty Bar, Light building

The slanted Liberty Bar is on track for its fourth lease on life, at least, as an eatery at The Pearl after a plan to rehabilitate and move the boarded-up building down the street won initial approval from the city Wednesday.

Pearl developer Silver Ventures wants to renovate the 1890s-era building and move it from its corner at the off-ramp of U.S. 281 to a new location next to the restaurants Down on Grayson and Osteria Il Sogno.

The firm would also move a small house next to the Liberty Bar and turn both buildings into a restaurant with an outdoor dining space.

The citys Historic and Design Review Commission approved the plan on its consent agenda Wednesday, despite having turned down a similar proposal in 2014 over concerns about removing the building from its historic context.

That proposal called for moving the building several blocks, but Silver Ventures wants to move it 250 feet down the same block this time.

We want the facade to relate to a corner that has a neighborhood life, as it once did, the firms spokeswoman Elizabeth Fauerso said this week. This is a very special building with a special history that relates to the Pearl.

The building, which was constructed by former Pearl Brewery brewmaster Fritz Boehler, was a beer garden for decades. It then served as the location of the Liberty Bar from 1985 to 2008, and local chef Andrew Weissman operated his restaurant Minnies Tavern & Rye House there until Silver Ventures bought the property in 2014.

Silver Ventures will have to return at a later meeting with more detailed plans for final approval.

The HDRC also gave a thumbs-up for a proposal by downtown developer GrayStreet Partners to renovate the Depression-era Light building into creative office space.

The commission is asking for a few changes to the design, such as the removal of a small tower that GrayStreet wanted to add, according to the meetings agenda.

GrayStreet, one of the most active developers downtown, bought the Light building in December from Hearst, the parent company of the San Antonio Express-News, and plans to turn it into 60,000 square feet of creative office space with a rooftop restaurant.

rwebner@express-news.net

@rwebner

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Historic commission approves rehabs of Liberty Bar, Light building - mySanAntonio.com