If walls could talk . . . Alamo renovations heighten the shrine's solemnity, accessibility

SAN ANTONIO - It's not your father's Alamo anymore. <br><br>Thanks to changes put in play by the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, guardians of the Alamo for nearly a century, visitors to the

Tuesday, March 7th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

SAN ANTONIO - It's not your father's Alamo anymore.

Thanks to changes put in play by the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, guardians of the Alamo for nearly a century, visitors to the shrine of Texas liberty need no longer fear coming away underwhelmed by the experience.

The changes, part of the DRT's conservation efforts, include redesigned gardens, a more accessible gift shop and renovations to the Alamo chapel that make it resemble a shrine more than a busy bus depot. Even critics acknowledge that the Alamo has a shiny new seriousness.

"People get very emotional about the Alamo. When they walk in, they know something important happened here," said Brad Breuer, the Alamo's curator and executive director. "We felt that if they were expecting to see the shrine of Texas liberty, than we'd better make sure they saw a shrine."

The Alamo's status as the "holiest of holy" Texas icons came out of defeat. Here, in this desanctified Catholic mission converted into a fortress, on March 6, 1836, more than 180 defenders died after holding out for more than 13 days against overwhelming Mexican forces led by Mexican Gen. Santa Anna.

What occurred at the Alamo became a battle cry two months later when Texas troops under Gen. Sam Houston defeated Mexican forces at San Jacinto and won Texas independence.

All that's left of the original once-sprawling mission is the chapel and part of a barracks. In 1905, the DRT was made the legal guardian of the Alamo by the state of Texas. At no cost to taxpayers, it pays for preservation of the chapel and grounds and has come to change only slowly, guarding its traditions and perceptions of Alamo history like mother wolves.

The latest changes mark a continuation of the DRT's commitment to making the Alamo more of a "people's shrine," said Mary Carmack, chairwoman of the DRT Alamo Committee, which oversees day-to-day operation of the Alamo.

"We can't forget that the Alamo belongs to all of us," Mrs. Carmack said. "The story of the Alamo is one of honor, duty and sacrifice. It's about heroes. And we've found that there are many ways to tell that story."

These changes came about when the stone atop one of the decorative columns fell. Cracks had formed when bronze plaques inscribed with the names of the Alamo defenders reacted chemically with the limestone walls on which they had hung for more than 60 years.

With repairs under way, the DRT and Mr. Breuer thought the time was ideal to make the Alamo more user-friendly. Working with architects, contractors, stone masons and restoration experts, they began making the old sanctuary less cluttered and more open to the 2.5 million visitors who pass through each year.

The plaques were rearranged in a horseshoe at the back of the sanctuary, dramatically lighted from spotlights in the ceiling. Two larger plaques were moved to a grassy area just outside the Alamo. One tells of the Alamo's transition from Spanish mission to fortress. The other is a replica of Alamo commander William Barret Travis' last letter from the Alamo, appealing for reinforcements and vowing to fight to the death.

"We wanted to 'professionalize' the Alamo, to find a new way to interpret its story as a true shrine," Mrs. Carmack said. "We've brought in a professional curator in Mr. Breuer and a professional historian in Dr. Bruce Winders to help us tell that story in a way that brings out the dignity of the Alamo and lets visitors know this is a special place."

Large display cases holding antique rifles and other artifacts of the Texas revolutionary era were moved to two rooms just off the main floor to ease visitor logjams. For more than 50 years, these rooms, occupied by women and children during the battle, stored flags of the states and nations of Alamo defenders and were closed to the public.

"When we asked why they had been closed off, no one knew," Mr. Breuer said. "It was something that had always been done."

A new irrigation system was installed in the 4.2-acre gardens at the rear of the Alamo, with its 150-year-old pecan trees and Texas flowers. Outside, way stations were placed at the four entrances with descriptions of how the battle looked from that vantage.

"The Daughters have done well with these changes. But they've struggled over the years to get to this point," said Kevin R. Young, a historian and president of the Alamo Battlefield Association.

"The Daughters have put together a good team to move the Alamo into the millennium," he said. "They have a mandate to honor the heroes. But they are meeting that mandate while bringing their presentation to the level that should meet the traditional criticisms of the Alamo."

Great care must be taken to ensure that myth doesn't overwhelm fact at the Alamo, said Richard Flores, a professor of anthropology at the University of Texas at Austin.

"For too long, the flesh-and-blood history had been forgotten," he said. "What was left was compressed and reinvented into the Alamo myth. We're now finding that what was left out was also very important."

The Alamo has always been a snarl of contradictions. An overwhelming defeat for the Texas revolutionaries, the battle is celebrated in memorials, books and movies. Historians still argue whether Davy Crockett went down fighting or was executed by a Mexican firing squad after he surrendered.

European and Asian visitors make up a healthy part of the millions of visitors who flock to the Alamo each year. New groups of tourists from Russia have begun to show up, Mrs. Carmack said. On a typical evening, 30 or 40 people stop by after hours for a look.

"I am constantly amazed at the pull the Alamo has," she said. "We get mail that is addressed simply to 'The Alamo.' Nothing else."