In September 1966 the “Beach Club” opened on Ocean Drive at Airline. It would become one of the city’s most popular hangouts for teens and young adults over the next decade.
The club was the brainchild of Robert Flato and was linked to his Sheraton Marina’s “Admiralty Club” and the 4600 Building on Ocean Drive.
The new Beach Club would be built at the bottom of the bluff directly across the street from the 4600 Building. It would have a sandy beach for swimming, an Olympic-size swimming pool, a lighted fishing pier, cabana style snack bar and restaurant, facilities for docking, renting, and storing Sunfish sail boats, a room for meetings and receptions, and a dance pavilion.
There was always music playing on the jukebox and tables for visiting or snacking, or just hangin out.
For Corpus Christi teens, it was a paradise.
Popular local bands and some from as far away as Houston played live at the Beach Club….often causing conflicts with nearby hotels that frequently filed noise complaints with the city.
There were yacht races from the downtown T-heads to the Beach Club and paddle board races just offshore from the beach (the first paddle board race was held in 1967 and was won by Corpus Christi surfing legend, Pat Magee). The YMCA sponsored swim meets that were held at the Club’s large pool, and there was even a YMCA Judo Tournament at the Beach Club in 1968.
Somehow, the Beach Club survived Hurricane Celia in 1970 and continued on through the 1970’s.
Unfortunately, the Club did not survive Hurricane Allen in 1980. The entire facility was completely destroyed. Over 200 families with memberships in the club were told that the faculty would not be rebuilt.
The ruins of the Club could still be seen until 2019. The property had been sold in 2016 and construction of a huge, $25 million condominium project called “Alexa on Ocean Drive” was begun in 2019.
The only traces of the once popular Beach Club that remain today are the four finger jetties that jut out into the bay from the former site.
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.
