District 4 City Councilman Rey Saldana said many community members have doubted whether they could effectively save and include parts of the Malt House within the 7-Eleven site plan. 13 charette proposed different visions the redesign. But commissioners wanted community input on what the redeveloped property should look like. The 7-Eleven company got its request for site demolition granted by the San Antonio Historic and Design Review Commission approved in October. Now, several individuals are optimistic that some of the restaurant’s heritage and community connection can be retained within the design for the new convenience store. It had been declared a historic site by the city in 2013.

The family-owned restaurant closed in January 2016.

But its fortunes began to wane in the 1990s. The Malt House’s pull-up/drive-in style of outdoor dining, as well as interior space, had many fans.

Over the decades, the casual restaurant gained a fierce following from not only Westsiders, but from a variety of San Antonians, including political power-brokers and community leaders. The Tex-Mex/American eatery opened in the 1940s on the Westside. More than 60 people attended a public charette Tuesday, Dec. Officials from the North Texas-based convenience store chain said they want to consider a variety of things from neighborhood residents, architects and artists before razing the restaurant and replace it with a convenience store. Plans for a new 7-Eleven store at Zarzamora and Buena Vista streets could include physical remnants and aspects to preserve what the iconic Malt House restaurants meant to generations of Westsiders.

Golden star cafe