Rivercenter, San Antonio, will add a LEGOLAND Discovery Center and a Sea Life Aquarium to its downtown mall.
The Merlin attractions will span a total area of 65,000 square feet. They will be based on multiple levels and share a single entry point.
The attractions were scheduled to open this year, however opening has been delayed until spring 2019 as Merlin sought out contractors.
Jeremy Aguillen, general manager for Legoland and Sea Life Aquarium, said: “We had a slight construction delay but all of that is behind us, so we are full steam ahead.”
“It took us a little bit longer than expected because we wanted to make sure we had the right team on board for this.”
Ward Construction, Houston, will develop the attractions.
The Sea Life portion of the $20 million project will feature as many as 30 aquariums on the bottom level. The new Legoland will take up the second and third levels.
Shops at Rivercenter is one of Ashkenazy Acquisition Corporation’s primeassets in its$10 billion portfolio. Its locationon the famousRiver Walk in downtown San Antonio (next to the Alamo) makes the mall a prime destination for shopping, dining and entertainment.Itattracts over 12 million visitors a year.Said Aguillen will oversee the Merlin projects at Rivercenter. He said: “We wanted to give locals and tourists another reason to visit downtown.”
SEA LIFE is the world’s biggest aquarium brand. It has over50 major aquariumsacross the world. San Antonio will be the second SEA LIFE in Texas, with the first in Dallas.
Conservation is also an integral part of boththe SEA LIFE experienceand Merlin Entertainments’ vision. Visitors to the newattraction will therefore learn about SEA LIFE’sBreed, Rescue and Protect activities.The vital work of theSEA LIFE Trustwill also be highlighted. This isa registered charity established by Merlin. Itraises awareness of issues affecting the world’s marine life. In addition, it helps promote solutionsand providesfunding for valuable marine conservation work.
FIRST LOOK: SA to get LEGOLAND, aquarium at Shops at Rivercenter early 2019
