In July, the Alamo Trust will launch a new phase of the $550 million Alamo Plan, aiming to restore the historic battle's footprint and establish a world-class Visitor Center and Museum. The project will bring an improved Southwest Corner, which will house a replica of the mission's famous 18-pounder cannon.

Jonathan Huhn, Senior Director of Communications and Community Outreach at the Alamo Trust, says that the construction is "designed to help visitors understand the scale of the historic walls and highlight the position from which the 18-pounder cannon was fired." The 1836 bombard played a pivotal role in Texas history.

On February 23, 1836, the first day of the Siege of the Alamo, Colonel William B. Travis ordered the firing of the cannon, signaling the Texas troops' booming defiance of President General Antonio López de Santa Anna.

The re-envisioned Southwest Corner builds on 2021's 18-pounder Losoya House Exhibit, where a full-sized replica of the iconic cannon was debuted. Using historical photographs, a military draft card, and measurements of the plinth at San Pedro Springs Park, researchers were painstakingly able to recreate the firearm over 18 months.

Huhn says the new exhibit will also serve as a "place of remembrance." Interpretive panels and a statue at the site will tell the story of Alamo Defender José Toribio Losoya, who was born at the mission in 1808.

According to Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation paperwork, the reimagined Southwest Corner will be finished by February 2026. In April, the Texas Historical Commission approved a hangar-like structure that will protect the Alamo Church as it undergoes roof repairs. The structure is expected to be erected in the second quarter of 2026.