Facelift planned for the Alamo

SAN ANTONIO, March 6 (UPI) -- Experts say the Alamo, Texas' best-known historic site, needs at least $1 million to safeguard its stones for future generations.

The Daughters of the Republic of Texas, who have been in charge of the Alamo for more than a century, plan a complete overhaul that will combine preservation with improvements for visitors, The Houston Chronicle reports.

The scars of the 1836 siege when 189 defenders held out for 13 days against the army of General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna will not be repaired, said David Stewart, director of the site. The Alamo was already more than a century old, dating back to 1724 when it was the center of a Spanish mission.

"People want to see the church pretty much as it was, with the signs of history on the front of it," Stewart said.

But preservationists are looking for ways to prevent the Alamo's limestone from crumbling further from weather, pollution and the hands of visitors eager to touch a piece of history.