Ruby City Announces Updates to its Campus

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Ruby City, a contemporary art center in San Antonio, has announced updates to its campus, including expanded hours at Chris Park and the completion of the San Pedro Creek Culture Park, on the west side of the building.

Opened in 2005 by Linda Pace to celebrate the life of her son Christopher Goldsbury, Chris Park is a private park that is publicly accessible. Located just east of Ruby City’s main building, the park incorporates a variety of plant species, including flora that is native to south Texas. Walkways wind through the outdoor space, and visitors can encounter places for quiet reflection and play. Visitors also walk through the park to reach The Studio at Chris Park, an alternative exhibition space sometimes used by Ruby City.  

The park’s hours were first reduced during the COVID-19 pandemic and have since remained this way as the city experienced extreme temperatures in recent years, requiring increased landscape maintenance. Now, the park has returned to its original hours: open on Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

In an announcement by the organization, Ruby City Director Elyse Gonzales remarked, “It’s a pleasure to be able to share the Park with more people and to see how important this place of respite and beauty is to so many in our community. This change coincides with yet another happy event, the opening of the newest phase of San Pedro Creek Culture Park which incorporates the design of Ruby City.”

The Ruby City San Pedro Creek extension project began in 2020 and was originally projected to be completed in early 2023. The project incorporates Ruby City’s design, developed by Adjaye Associates, an architectural and design firm with locations in Accra, London, and New York. Specifically, the iconic red concrete used to build Ruby City is reflected in the recently completed section of the Culture Park.

The plaza, which sits in front of the building, now extends to San Pedro Creek through a series of planted terraces. This expansion will allow for new programming opportunities, including talks, guided walks, and events. Just as the expansion extends the center’s reach out to the community, it creates new access points to Ruby City for passersby who are walking or biking along the Culture Park.

Ms. Gonzales noted, “This incredible public park and the fact that the design of Ruby City is incorporated into its layout is significant. It developed out of a mutually beneficial partnership with Bexar County and the River Authority, and its completion allows us to further build on Linda Pace’s vision for Ruby City to serve as a gift to San Antonio. By enabling easy and free access to all, programming opportunities as well as access to the Culture Park we are primed to welcome yet more visitors who can experience the power of contemporary art and the natural beauty of the landscape right in the middle of our city.”