San Antonio’s Hemisfair to receive new garden through $1 million gift from Mays Family Foundation
- Hemisfair Park Area Redevelopment Corporation
- Peggy Mays Garden Conceptual Rendering
After receiving its first ever seven-figure philanthropic donation, downtown San Antonio’s Hemisfair will use the money to construct a garden in the new year.
The Mays Family Foundation announced a $1 million gift in honor of family matriarch Peggy Mays, who died at 85 last month. The Hemisfair Conservancy will develop the Peggy Mays Garden along East Nueva Street between Yanuguana Garden and the future Civic Park.
“My mother was devoted to adding beauty and improving life for all San Antonians,” foundation President Kathy Mays Johnson said in a press release. “Our family cannot think of a better way to honor her than with these exquisite gardens at Hemisfair that everyone can enjoy for generations.”
The garden, expected to open in late 2021, will consist of diverse plant species attractive to pollinators. Small trails and rest areas will make it accessible to visitors.
“The Mays Family Foundation is leading the way in helping us accomplish our aspirational vision of creating one of the world’s great public places here in San Antonio,” Hemisfair Conservancy Executive Director Anne Krause said in public statement. “Philanthropy is at the heart of Hemisfair, and we hope this transformational gift inspires other donors to support the redevelopment.”
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