A new era in Corpus Christi attractions arrived when the Padre Island Causeway opened on June 17, 1950.
The longest barrier island in the world was now easily accessible to locals and visitors alike. The $1.2 million causeway led to a paved road that continued down the island to Gulf Beach Park. There, visitors found picnic tables and benches, a playground for children, a concession stand, and restroom facilities. They also found a wooden fishing pier, built at a cost of $17,000, that extended 333 feet into the Gulf.
The 11 foot wide pier stood 10 feet above mean high tide and had a 70 foot by 30 foot “T-head” at the end.
The pier instantly became the most popular attraction at the park. In May of 1951, the county wired the new pier with lights for night fishing, and in October of 1952 began construction of a 300 foot extension to the pier, with another 70 foot by 30 foot “T-head” at the end.
The popular pier remained open to fishermen during construction. Completed at a cost of $26,000 in December, a massive crowd of 15,000 people showed up for the dedication on December 22.
One week after the dedication ceremony, the County Commissioner’s Court met to acknowledge the retirement of long-time Precinct 1 Commissioner, Robert Reid “Bob” Hall.
Mr. Hall was a Corpus Christi native, born in his family’s house on Chaparral Street in 1881, the seventh of ten children. After his service in the Spanish American War (1898), he became the business manager for Mr. F.Z. Bishop who founded the town of Bishop, Tx. in 1910.
That same year, Robert (Bob) Hall became the first elected mayor of the new town. He and his family later moved to Corpus Christi where he would become Superintendent of the Water Department. During the 1919 Hurricane, both of his parents and a sister drowned during the storm.
In 1936, Bob Hall was elected County Commissioner of Precinct 1, and would serve for 16 years. At his last Commissioners meeting, he was surprised when his fellow Nueces County Commissioners voted to name the new pier on Padre Island in his honor.
Gulf Beach Park would later be re-named “Padre Balli Park”, and the beloved pier that would bear Bob Hall’s name would continue on despite numerous catastrophes.
In 1960, a runaway shrimp boat smashed into the pier, slicing it in half. After a quick repair, the pier faced Hurricane Carla in September 1961. This time the pier was completely destroyed. Within a year, not only was the 600 foot pier rebuilt, it was now twice as long as before.
The new, 1200 foot long Bob Hall Pier was reopened on October 14, 1962. Five years later, Hurricane Beulah destroyed the new section and the county only rebuilt 127 feet. It was now a 727 foot long pier. The pier would survive Hurricane Celia in 1970 and would become more popular than ever. Unfortunately, 1980’s Hurricane Allen would once again completely destroy the pier.
Undeterred, county commissioners voted to spend $1.7 million to build an “indestructible” concrete pier with removable deck planks. The magnificent pier would reopen on May 25, 1983. It would once again be 1200 feet long but six feet higher, with a 160 foot long by 16 foot wide T-head at the end. The new pier would survive numerous storms….even Hurricane Harvey in 2017. But, it was unable to survive Hanna in 2020.
Damage was so severe that the decision was made in 2022 to demolish the entire pier and start over from scratch. The federal permit for reconstruction was recently obtained and final plans for construction of a new $22 million Bob Hall Pier are being finalized. Mr. Bob Hall would pass away in 1960 at the age of 79, but he would be proud to see that his namesake pier is about to rise once again.
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.
