In 1960, the newly formed “Corpus Christi Arts Council” petitioned the city to fund a feasibility study on the building of a Civic Center in the downtown area that would house cultural, civic, and scientific destinations. Their original plan was to construct a new island land mass just north of the T-heads upon which would be built an Art Museum, Museum of Science and History, an Auditorium, and a Performing Arts Theater.
Hurricane Carla quickly put an end to that idea.
The Arts Council then began looking at another area of interest for such a project. The 1959 completion of the new Harbor Bridge and its approaches, along with the dismantling of the Bascule Bridge, had isolated a large section of bayfront land at the far north ends of Shoreline, Water, and Chaparral streets.
By mid 1962, the need for a much larger building for the Corpus Christi Junior Museum had become critical. The museum had outgrown the Parks and Recreation building where it had been housed since 1957. The Arts Council, led by Mrs. Alex Vaky and later Mrs. T. L. Goad first proposed a 15 acre site that would include the museum, an Art Museum, and the Little Theater.....all built in a bayfront park setting.
In December of 1963, the Arts Council and the City agreed to cooperate in acquiring land for what was being called the “Bayfront Arts and Science Park”. The non-profit Foundation for Science and Arts, headed by Edwin Singer, had already begun purchasing land for the project, and in 1964 the CC Museum Board had voted to construct its new museum on the site of the old David Hirsch school which had been demolished.
The foundation had already purchased the site and donated it to the City for construction of the museum. The new Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History would open in 1968 and become the first component of the “Bayfront Arts and Science Park”.
Meanwhile, the City continued to purchase property in the area designated for the park. Property owners who were unwilling to sell faced condemnation and seizure by the City. Numerous lawsuits by land and property owners whose land was targeted followed. Moore's Antiques, CC Transportation, Shoreline Drive-in, and the Big Chief Motel were a few of the businesses that were eventually forced to move or close down as the city took title to land. After the new Corpus Christi Museum opened in 1968, it was followed by the Art Museum of South Texas in 1972. In 1976, Little Theater Corpus Christi joined the park and opened its new theater, renamed the “Harbor Playhouse”. Its first production in the new location was the play "1776".
After 15 years of proposals, location changes, lawsuits, and fundraising, the Bayfront Arts and Science Park had become a reality and began to transform an isolated and run-down area of the city.
Since the 1970's, the park has been greatly expanded with the addition of a city auditorium, convention center, additional museums, fountains, public art, and a water garden. Nearby Sports and entertainment venues such as the American Bank Center, Whataburger Field, Brewster Street, Selena Auditorium, Concrete Street, and Hurricane Alley prompted the city to re-name the now more than 300 acre district in 2013. It is now called the "SEA District"....SEA for Sports, Entertainment, and Arts… and is one of the most popular areas in the city.
Robert Parks is a special contributor to KRIS 6 News. Parks was a history teacher at Carroll High School for 19 years and is now retired. His knowledge of Corpus Christi history makes him a unique expert in the subject.