Renovate or demolish? That was the big question for city and county officials by the late 1990’s. The City was planning to construct the “Gateway Project”, a $5 million beautification of the downtown entryway into the city from I-37. The project would be anchored at one end by the 1914 Courthouse. At the other end would be a brand new Federal Courthouse on Shoreline. The old 1914 courthouse had been placed on a list of the top 10 most endangered historic buildings in the state, which got the attention of Texas Governor, George W. Bush. He suggested that state funds might be made available to help with restoration of our old courthouse.
In November 1999, Nueces County came up with a plan to reclaim the deed to the old courthouse. The county would foreclose on the structure and put the building up for auction with a minimum bid of $742,000….the amount of taxes due. If no bids are made, the County would become the new owner of the building and the tax debt would be erased. The plan would require all entities (the City, School District, Del Mar, etc.) who were owed back taxes to also waive those debts. With a clear title to the courthouse, the County would then be eligible to apply for up to $4 million in state Historical Commission funds for renovation. Another option would be to apply for up to $16.4 million in funds from the Texas Transportation Commission for converting the old courthouse into a Texas Transportation History Museum. Many believed that the time for restoration of the historic courthouse had finally come. But that did not happen. In January 2000, the Transportation grant was denied. In August 2000, Nueces County once again became the official owner of the old courthouse when Dusty Durrill signed over the deed to the building.
The County quickly began applying for state funds. It sought $3.7 million from the State Historical Commission and $14 million from the Texas Transportation Dept. to convert the courthouse into a Transportation Dispatch Center. In November 2001, the two-story Annex building on the northeast side of the courthouse that was constructed in 1961 was demolished.
While the County waited on state funds, the old courthouse continued to deteriorate. Vagrants were now re-entering the building through broken windows and open doorways, and the grounds were covered in waist-tall weeds. The City of Corpus Christi cited the county for code violations, which the county ignored. The City finally hired a contractor to clean up the grounds and board up all the openings. A $650 bill for the work was sent to County Commissioners Court.
A glimmer of hope for restoration of the 1914 Nueces County Courthouse finally arrived in August of 2003. Dusty Durrill put up $630,000 in matching funds to secure a $1.9 million grant from the State Historical Commission to restore the South Wing of the old courthouse. Acceptance of the grant would extend the covenant that protects the building from demolition until the year 2027. The architectural firm of McGloin and Sween would oversee the work of Stoddard Construction of San Antonio. The South Wing would get a new roof, new windows, and complete restoration of all masonry and terra cotta ornamentation. The $2.85 million project took two years to complete, but the result was magnificent. Hundreds of bricks were removed, cleaned, and replaced. Decorative masonry was numbered, removed, repaired or replaced, and reattached with metal fasteners.
As the renovation was nearing an end in July 2006, the County was offered another $1.76 million grant from the state to continue renovations. But, the County would have to match the grant with an equal amount of money in order to receive it. Commissioners decided that the county did not have the funds to match the grant and the state rescinded the offer. The county hoped that the renovation would inspire investors to take part in a restoration of the entire courthouse. But, that did not happen.
Estimates of the amount needed to do a complete restoration of the entire courthouse were now up to between $20 and $30 million.
In 2007, a man named Dan Judson came to Commissioners Court with a plan to establish a Law School in the old courthouse. It sounded like a brilliant idea. He hoped to get a major Texas Law School to back the opening of a branch school in Corpus Christi inside the old courthouse. Unfortunately, established law schools showed no interest in the project.
The historic 1914 Nueces County Courthouse - Part 1&2
The historic 1914 Nueces County Courthouse - Part 3
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.