The facility was located in Downtown San Antonio near the Tower of the Americas, one of the most recognizable landmarks in the city.
HemisFair Arena and the Tower of the Americas were constructed by a joint venture of two contractors—Lyda Inc. of San Antonio and H. A. Lott, Inc. of Houston.
The San Antonio Spurs of the American Basketball Association moved to the arena after the Dallas Chaparrals relocated following the 1972–73 ABA season.
[6] As Spurs games began regularly selling out, new seating was added in 1978 by raising the roof of the arena, allowing the construction of an upper deck, increasing the capacity to more than 16,000.
[1] While the renovation boosted capacity, it did result in a large number of obstructed view seats in the lower levels due to the support beams required for the upper deck.