It is always interesting to see how cities change over time.
In some cities, the changes are hardly noticeable (the ice rink and area around Rockefeller Center in New York looks today exactly the way I remember it when I was first there 60 years ago). In other cities, the changes can be drastic, and in a relatively short time.
Above are photos of downtown's Taylor Street as it looked in 1931 and as it looks today from the same spot. The photos were taken at the intersection of Taylor and Water, looking west toward the Bluff. In fact, the staircase at the end of the street, going up the Bluff, is just about the only thing remaining on Taylor street from the 1930’s photo. Even the majestic homes on the top of the Bluff in the 1930’s have been gone for over 50 years.
In the 1931 photo, the vacant lot seen on the right had been the home of the Church of the Good Shepherd. It had stood on this corner since 1878. It had just recently been moved to a site on Upper Broadway at Park Avenue. In the 2020 photo, it remains a vacant lot.
At the end of the block on the right was the ornate, balconied home of Mrs. Cheston L. Heath. The city’s newest elementary school was named after her husband, who had died in 1918.
Across Mesquite Street from the Heath home was the First Baptist Church, which was built in 1910. The church served the congregation until 1950 when they moved to their new building on Ocean Drive. The old church on Taylor became Downtown Baptist and served that congregation until 1959 when they too moved to a new building on S. Staples and changed their name to Parkdale Baptist. The old building on Taylor was purchased by the Caller-Times and demolished for a new parking lot. In the 2020 photo, much of that old parking lot has been taken by expansion of the Caller-Times building.
At the far end of Taylor on the right side in the 1931 photo is a large clump of trees. In 1932, the David Peel Funeral Home would be built on this site. But that building only lasted until 1964. It too was bought by the Caller-Times and was demolished.
On the left side of the 1931 photo, in the foreground, is a small cafe owned by R. C. Nolte. Notice the curb-side gas pump out front. Today, that site is occupied by a parking lot.
Every other structure on the left side of Taylor Street seen in the 1931 photo is long gone.
One structure that existed in 1931, and remains standing in 2020 is hidden by foliage in the 1931 photo. It is located at the corner of Taylor and Mesquite (where a truck can be seen pulling out onto the street). In 1931, this was the site of “Devine’s Magnolia Service Station”. The building has not been a gas station for many decades, but today is the site of “The Gold Fish” bar.
With all the changes, I doubt that anyone living in Corpus Christi in 1931 would even recognize this as being Taylor Street today.
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.
