CORPUS CHRISTI, Tx — The Texas Historical Commission has removed the historical preservation easement from the 1914 Nueces County Courthouse, clearing the way for the potential demolition of the 109-year-old landmark that has long teetered between preservation and destruction.
The development marks a potential final chapter for a building once considered the most beautiful courthouse in Texas, having won the "Arthur Everts Award" five consecutive years in the early 20th century.
Nueces County Judge Connie Scott told KRIS 6 News this is the first of many steps to demolish the building and that any demolition would not happen overnight.
"And we'll hopefully find a better solution there and to treasure the history that was there, while documenting and keeping everything that is necessary, too," Scott said.
The county must create a coffee table book and document the history of the building before it can apply for a demolition permit. At that point, the county would need to go out for bids and identify funding to remove the building.
It is unknown how much it will cost to tear down the building, estimates range from $1 million to over $10 million, Scott said.
Scott said that all avenues to renovate the building for alternate uses had been exhausted, and given the exorbitant cost of renovation, the county believes demolition is the only solution.
“The time has come that those efforts has been exhausted and it's time to maybe look to a different direction," Scott added. "It won’t happen overnight, but that’s the process we’re moving towards.”
Constructed in 1914 at a cost of $250,000, the six-story Classical Revival structure was a marvel of its time. Designed by Washington, D.C. architect Harvey L. Page, the courthouse featured ornate Ionic columns, four statues representing "Courage", "Temperance", "Wisdom", and "Justice", and was built entirely with Texas materials except for roofing tiles from Kansas and interior marble from Georgia.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO FROM INSIDE THE COURTHOUSE
For 63 years, the courthouse served as the central hub of Nueces County's legal and administrative activities. It survived the 1919 hurricane, providing refuge to downtown residents and serving as a temporary morgue, and even appeared in an episode of the popular television series "Route 66" in 1963.
The building was abandoned in 1977 when county operations moved to a new courthouse. Since then, it has been the subject of numerous preservation attempts and demolition threats. Over the decades, various plans emerged to restore or repurpose the building, including proposals for a hotel, an entertainment center, and even a potential campus for Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
Multiple owners, including real estate developer Charles Bennett and philanthropist Dusty Durrill, tried and failed to restore the structure. Engineering studies repeatedly highlighted the escalating renovation costs, with an estimate in 2019 reaching $68.5 million.
Mike Pusley, Nueces County Commissioner Precinct 1, said the estimated cost of renovation is about $120 million.
“The Coon Restoration Corporation out of Ohio, even they found after extensive research on their part, that the cost of restoring the old courthouse and for the use they were going to provide with that remodel were just to expensive," Pusley said.
In 2017, a glimmer of hope emerged when "County Courthouse Development Partners" signed a purchase agreement to convert the building into a $57 million luxury hotel. However, the deal fell through when the company missed a tax payment deadline.
The Ed Rachal Foundation's 2019 offer to purchase and demolish the building was blocked by the State Historical Commission.
WATCH OUR 5-PART SERIES ON THE HISTORY OF THE 1914 NUECES COUNTY COURTHOUSE.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
