It’s hard to believe that Lichtenstein’s Department Store, which operated in Corpus Christi for 98 years (1874-1972), has been gone now for over 50 years. For those who grew up in Corpus Christi before 1960, memories of this elegant store are still fresh all these years later.
Morris Lichtenstein, a 17-year-old German immigrant, had come to Texas in 1857. In 1874, he would open a drygoods store in Corpus Christi located in a wood-framed building at the corner of Chaparral and Peoples.
My great grandfather, a Refugio County rancher, made frequent trips to Corpus Christi to purchase goods from what was called "M. Lichtenstein, Wholesale and Retail Dealer in Dry Goods, Clothing, Boots, Hats, and Gent's Furnishing Goods" in the late 1800s.
Several additions were made to the original Lichtenstein’s building, but by 1889 it was necessary to move the business to the nearby, much larger Uehlinger Building (on the diagonal corner of Chaparral and Peoples from the original building). Early in 1904, Albert and Julius Lichtenstein joined their father in the company, and the store’s name was changed to “M Lichtenstein and Sons”. Their father, Morris L. Lichtenstein, would pass away in August 1904.
The sons would continue business in the Uehlinger Building until 1911 when they moved into a brand new building at 501 Chaparral (at Schatzell). The three-story building was the first in Corpus Christi equipped with elevators….a thrilling experience for shoppers.
Lichtenstein’s would remain in this building for the next 30 years. The store would survive the 1919 hurricane and would prosper during the Great Depression.
In 1939, the store, which employed 138 people, would celebrate its 65th Anniversary in business, the oldest in the city. Despite the great success of the business at this location, owners Morris and Albert Lichtenstein, grandsons of the founder, were already planning to build a brand new store.
In 1940, they purchased the property where the old St. James Hotel had been located at the corner of Chaparral and Lawrence. The hotel was demolished in 1937.
The grand, four-story, 80,000-square-foot building would open on December 1, 1941. The building would be the first in Corpus Christi to have air conditioning in its original building plans. One customer likened the elegant store to those found on 5th Avenue in New York City! The store would eventually have over 600 employees and would become a destination for shoppers throughout Texas.
Lichtenstein’s would also open another store in the new Parkdale Plaza in 1957.
Lichtenstein family ownership would come to an end in 1972 when Frost Brothers of San Antonio purchased Lichtenstein’s. However, the Lichtenstein name would remain on the store until 1977 when the name “Frost Bros.” would go up on the building.
Frost closed the downtown store in 1986 and the memorable building would remain vacant and boarded up until its demolition in 2013.
Today, the Cosmopolitan, built to resemble the Lichtenstein’s building, stands as a reminder of the company that was the pride of Corpus Christi for 98 years.
It’s ironic that the city's most famous department store once occupied 4 separate buildings in its lifetime, and not a single one of them still stands. Only memories, and a few photos, recall the once classy Lichtenstein's.
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.
