When the owners of the Pearl Brewery commissioned a grand San Antonio stable in 1894, they likely had only one function in mind: a place to house sixty horses and the keg carts used to deliver their beer around town. But as it turns out, the now 130-year-old, oval-shaped building—with its open floor plan, tall ceilings, and multiple entrances—also makes for a great music venue.

Opening its doors to the public with a free show this Saturday, Stable Hall is a joint venture between the Dallas-based developer WoodHouse and the Austin-based firms Clayton Korte architecture and Joel Mozersky Design. The latter teams previously worked on the Southerleigh restaurant in the historic brewery complex turned shopping-and-dining district. This is the first Pearl project for WoodHouse, which is known for Deep Ellum music venues Trees and the Gypsy Tea Room. 

Brandt Wood, principal at WoodHouse, initially went to San Antonio looking for a site to host a music festival. He ended up falling in love with the Pearl and, along with managing partner and San Antonio native Erick Schlather, pitched Pearl district founder Kit Goldsbury on the idea of a “proper music venue” inside the old stable. The building was renovated in the early 2000s for use as a private event space, but to make it show-worthy, the team orchestrated a full redesign, creating a mezzanine, a green room, a lobby, a new dance floor, six bars, an oversized stage, and enough room for one thousand people.

“The bones of this building were perfect for the renovation, and the way we programmed the seating and the mezzanine, it’s laid out really like a classic theater,” Wood tells me on a recent tour. “There’s not a bad seat in the house.”

Tickets are on sale now for shows through May. The lineup is diverse, with acts ranging from all-female mariachi groups and the Grammy-winning conjunto pioneer Flaco Jiménez to a Led Zeppelin tribute band and indie rock chart-topper Portugal. The Man. 

Wood anticipates that Stable Hall’s prime location—just steps from some of the city’s best restaurants and the five-star Hotel Emma—will entice big-name artists looking for a more intimate venue and a respite from touring. 

“We envision a decent amount of underplays, meaning bands that would normally be bigger than this room will have two-to-three-night residencies. They can stay at Hotel Emma, bring their family, rehearse in the daytime, and spend some time here,” Wood says.

While the stable building has been a fixture of the Pearl since its early days (it was built the same year as the brewhouse) and has been accessible to private event attendees, this may be the first time many Texans, and even San Antonians, are getting a look inside. 

“It’s important in a historic project to pay homage to the existing architecture and history,” designer Joel Mozersky says. “There are subtle references to the horse-stable past, via some art and small details, but we also wanted to make the visitor wonder if it had always looked like this and we just dusted it off.”

Below, a behind-the-curtain peek at what concertgoers can expect.

“It is amazing how they were able to build this elliptical shape and include all the detailing without using any sort of modern technology,” says Sam Manning, a partner at Clayton Korte and the project’s lead architect. For inspiration, Manning referenced the original architect’s plans (drawn on sheepskin) and incorporated a stair-step pattern into the music venue’s millwork as a nod to the brick exterior.
Karissa Rangel/Giant Noise Partners
Chandeliers, which previously hung in the ballroom, depict a typical day in the life of the brewery around the turn of the twentieth century. The light fixtures now reside in the lobby. They aren’t original to the building (they were added in the 2000s), but the metalwork was all done by hand. 
Karissa Rangel/Giant Noise Partners
Built with reclaimed longleaf pine from Mississippi, the stage also features a gold-fringed Austrian curtain, meaning it’s one giant panel that rises and falls, versus the more common split curtain. “The swagged scallop design provides a bit of Liberace glamour,” Mozersky says. 
Karissa Rangel/Giant Noise Partners
A newly installed disco ball is surrounded by the original skylights and webbed ceiling.
Karissa Rangel/Giant Noise Partners
The green room boasts a custom record player console and vintage rock posters Wood has collected over the years, along with ephemera and photographs that help tell the story of the Pearl.
Karissa Rangel/Giant Noise Partners
For additional decor, the design team sourced antique musical instruments, including these accordions and a piano from the 1890s that once belonged to a church in New Orleans.
Karissa Rangel/Giant Noise Partners
Seating at the mezzanine level blends old-world materials (cast iron) with modern convenience (cupholders). The Pearl’s distinctive three X’s, a mark of the highest-quality beer, appear in gold. Craft beer will be a hallmark of the venue’s beverage program, along with wine and cocktails inspired by the history of the building. 
Karissa Rangel/Giant Noise Partners
The sound system was built by Clair Global, a leader in the industry, and all of the concert hall’s walls are covered with acoustic velvet to maximize sound quality. 
Karissa Rangel/Giant Noise Partners
Several finishing touches came from nearby Round Top, including a pair of brass sconces that flank the stage and illuminate a large-scale mural by Dean Barger, a landscape painter known for his work with design firm Roman and Williams. “We asked him for a midnight Hill Country scene, an ethereal, foggy night,” Wood says. “It’s an unorthodox type of backdrop for a big rock ’n’ roll room, but we wanted a work of art behind the artists that are performing.”
Karissa Rangel/Giant Noise Partners
In addition to national and international acts, music lovers can expect to see local talent on the marquee. “This is an incubator,” Wood says. “It’s a place where we can handle a big sold-out show, but it’s also a place where we can have multiple bands from other markets and have them grow their careers here.”
Karissa Rangel/Giant Noise Partners