The practice and an independent San Antonio report document the founding year.
Independent editorial profile · 2026 edition
Alamo Architects
San Antonio
Founded 1984
Adaptive reuse
Housing + civic work
San Antonio architecture practice working across adaptive reuse, multifamily housing, education, civic projects, planning and interiors, with a portfolio closely tied to the city’s historic fabric and urban development.
Best suited for: clients planning an adaptive-reuse or historic-preservation project, urban housing, an educational or civic facility, or a mixed-use development that requires stakeholder coordination, planning knowledge and experience with complex existing conditions.
Editorial profile · Independently researched · Firm verification pending · Evidence included through July 13, 2026.
Practice summary
At a glance
Current institutional records are separated from information supplied through the practice’s own website.
The current official address is on South Flores Street in the SoFlo district.
Architecture, planning, landscape and interior-design capabilities are represented publicly.
Irby Hightower, Mike Lanford, Billy Lawrence and Mike McGlone.
Portfolio also includes civic, healthcare, retail, planning and interior work.
The Texas Society of Architects’ highest honor for an architecture firm.
Editorial assessment
Overview
This profile evaluates documented project work and professional records rather than promotional superlatives.
Design approach
Alamo Architects’ most relevant work for this index combines preservation with practical urban change. The Fairmount Hotel, SoFlo Office Campus, Blue Flame Building and Hot Wells Park each retain existing cultural or physical fabric while assigning it a new public, workplace or residential role. Across larger institutional and housing commissions, the practice emphasizes stakeholder coordination and long-term use.
Current professional evidence
The independent record includes the 2014 Texas Society of Architects Architecture Firm Award, AIA San Antonio’s 2020 recognition of the Fairmount Hotel, the 2024 TxA equitable-practice award to principal Nicki Marrone, and UTSA documentation of the firm’s work with Treanor on major campus facilities.
Data limitations
Fees, typical project budgets, current capacity and standardized schedules are not publicly disclosed. Team size and project-sector claims remain practice-reported. The 2026 TxA lifetime-achievement award announced for co-founder Mike McGlone on July 16 falls after the edition cutoff and is not included in the current ranking calculation.
2026 edition
Ranking placement
Placement is editorial, evidence-based and independent of profile claims, introductions or sponsorship.
Placemaking & Adaptive Reuse
Statewide category placement supported by a multi-decade record of historic rehabilitation, urban infill and public-space work, including the Fairmount Hotel, SoFlo Office Campus, Blue Flame Building and Hot Wells Park.
Documented work
Selected projects
These projects were selected to show how the practice approaches historic structures, industrial reuse, affordable housing and public heritage sites.
Fairmount Hotel
The three-story masonry hotel was moved six blocks in 1985 and adapted at its new site rather than demolished. The project became an early public marker of the practice’s preservation work and remains directly relevant to its placement in this category.
2020 AIA San Antonio Twenty-Five Year Award
View official project page
SoFlo Office Campus
Alamo Architects and OCO Architects converted a group of mid-century factory buildings into separate offices linked by shared courtyards. Existing structural elements, salvaged materials and demolition remnants were incorporated into the new workplace landscape.
Firm-reported: LEED Silver · AIA San Antonio Citation and sustainability commendation
View official project page
Blue Flame Building
Working with InSitu Architecture, the practice converted an 18-story former natural-gas headquarters into mixed-use development with 120 affordable apartments, office space and ground-floor commercial uses while retaining significant mid-century features.
Firm-reported: 2023 AIA El Paso Design Award of Merit to InSitu Architecture
View official project page
Hot Wells at Bexar County Park
The project stabilizes the surviving bathhouse ruins of a former resort and makes them the focus of a public heritage park connected to the Mission Reach trail system. Accessible paths, interpretive material and native landscape extend the site’s civic role.
Firm-reported: 2025 AIA San Antonio Historic Award
View official project page
Project imagery will be added only after publication rights and photography credits are confirmed.
Source audit
Evidence ledger
Each row links a specific claim to the strongest publicly accessible source used in this editorial review.
| Claim | Grade | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alamo Architects was founded in 1984 and currently lists its office at 1512 South Flores Street in San Antonio. | C | Alamo Architects — About | Jul 26, 2026 |
| Alamo Architects received the 2014 Texas Society of Architects Architecture Firm Award. | B | Texas Society of Architects — Architecture Firm Award | Jul 26, 2026 |
| The Fairmount Hotel received AIA San Antonio’s 2020 Twenty-Five Year historic-resource recognition. | B | AIA San Antonio — Historic Resources | Jul 26, 2026 |
| Principal Nicki Marrone, AIA, received the 2024 TxA Award for Equitable Practice in Architecture. | B | Texas Society of Architects — 2024 Honor Awards | Jul 26, 2026 |
| UTSA identifies Alamo Architects and TreanorHL as the designers of Guadalupe Hall and its Science and Engineering Building. | A | University of Texas at San Antonio | Jul 26, 2026 |
| Mike McGlone, FAIA, was announced for the 2026 TxA Lifetime Achievement Medal after the July 13 evidence cutoff. | B | Texas Society of Architects — 2026 Honor Awards | Jul 26, 2026 |
| The current public leadership page identifies senior principals, principals, associates and emeritus leadership. | C | Alamo Architects — People | Jul 26, 2026 |
| Project scope, completion dates and awards for SoFlo, Blue Flame and Hot Wells are reported by the practice. | C | Alamo Architects — Adaptive Reuse Portfolio | Jul 26, 2026 |
Evidence grades describe the independence of the source, not the architectural quality of the practice. The July 16, 2026 honor is documented for profile accuracy but was announced after the edition cutoff and is not included in the current ranking calculation.
How evidence grades are assigned
Grade A is supported by an independent national record, official registry or primary institutional document. Grade B is supported by a professional jury, regional institution or established architecture publication. Grade C is reported by the practice and has not been independently verified. Read the full evidence standards.
Practice information
Leadership and registration
Professional titles and leadership roles are stated only where current institutional or official practice sources support them.
Current public leadership
- Senior principalsJim Bailey, AIA; Ariel Chavela, RA; Irby Hightower, FAIA; Jerry Lammers, AIA; Billy Lawrence, AIA.
- PrincipalsBeverly Baldwin, AIA; Victor Castillo, RID, IIDA; Jason Hyatt; Nicki Marrone, AIA, LEED AP BD+C.
- Emeritus leadershipMike Lanford, AIA, and Mike McGlone, FAIA, are listed by the practice as senior principals emeritus.
Licensure and registration
Registration review in progress. Texas business-registration information is being checked against the Texas Board of Architectural Examiners registry. Registration confirms legal standing to practice and is not an editorial endorsement.
Services and specialties
The public portfolio also documents multifamily and affordable housing, higher education, PreK–12 schools, healthcare, retail, landscape architecture, planning and urban design.
Considering Alamo Architects for a project?
Review the practice’s official portfolio or submit a project brief to compare firms with documented experience relevant to your site, project type and priorities.
Introductions and referral inquiries do not affect rankings or editorial coverage.
Continue researching
Related rankings and guides
Use these editorial resources to compare fit, geography and the evidence behind published positions.
Profile changelog
- Profile structure, selected projects, ranking rationale, evidence ledger and client guidance revised. Sources rechecked; 2026 edition evidence cutoff unchanged.
- Initial directory profile published for the 2026 edition.