Before Gutzon Borglum left Texas to carve the likenesses of four presidents onto the face of a mountain, he was in Corpus Christi planning a new seawall. The man behind Mount Rushmore once envisioned a giant bronze statue of Jesus that would appear to be walking on water along the downtown shoreline. 
Although approved by city property holders in 1928, the Borglum vision for the city’s downtown waterfront needed a bond election that was never called and plans were eventually cancelled. The globally renowned — and disappointed — artist soon took off for South Dakota where at least that dream became a reality.
A new Texas Historical Commission marker commemorating Borglum’s passion for Corpus Christi was unveiled July 6 under the auspices of his granddaughter, Robin Borglum Kennedy, who lives in the city.
“I’m very proud that he is being recognized for his efforts,” Kennedy said at the unveiling. “He tried to improve the Bayfront and Corpus Christi.” 
Borglum’s connection to Texas goes beyond his work in the Coastal Bend. Born in Idaho and reared in Utah, the visionary artist spent years in San Antonio where he created a clay model for The Trail Drivers monument which now stands in front of the Texas Pioneer and Trail Drivers Memorial Hall at the Witte Museum. It is another piece that did not live up to Borglum’s dream. Cast after his death. the piece is only one-fourth the size he originally planned. 
Borglum came to San Antonio to create the “Spirit of Sacrifice” (or “Alamo Cenotaph”), honoring the heroes of the Alamo. Although invited to the city based on his previous works, he lost out in competition to Pompeo Coppini, a rival. It was then that the artist finally left the state to work on Mount Rushmore. Sketches for the presidential monument were made in a studio he converted from the Brackenridge Park Golf Course club house.
Borglum was originally invited to San Antonio by the Trail Drivers Association leadership, who were impressed by a piece he created for New Jersey. “Wars of America” is a humongous bronze war memorial that includes 42 people and two horses. Erected in 1926, it is located in Military Park in Newark. 
In total, the artist created about 100 statues, which can be found all over the country. Some of his work resides in the San Antonio Museum of Art and the Witte, which includes a painting as well. 
His time in San Antonio is noted in mosaic tile work by Diana Kersey on the Millrace Bridge, just across from the former Borglum Studio. The studio is now part of the Amy and V.H. McNutt Events Center. 
Borglum died in 1941 at the age of 74, Mount Rushmore unfinished. His son, Lincoln, completed the project. 

MARKER CONTENT

GUTZON BORGLUM AND THE CORPUS CHRISTI BAYFRONT
Well-known in San Antonio for his “Trail Drivers” sculpture on permanent display inside the Witte Museum, Danish-American artist Gutzon Borglum (1867-19041) made several proposals to the City of Corpus Christi in the early twentieth century for the beautification of the bayfront. In 1928, he arrived in the area at the request of the city’s chamber of commerce in order to plan for the incorporation of practical and visual improvements to the beach front.
Eager to begin this project, Borglum generously offered his services at no cost to the city. He designed a promenade that would incorporate a system of parks and boulevards in addition to an improved seawall. Impressed at learning that Corpus Christi was the only city in the United States to bear that name, he sought to include a 32-foot-high Christ statue. Anchored ini the seawall itself, the sculpture would appear to be walking on water with its hands upraised as though protecting the city from inclement weather.
In preparation for carrying out his proposals for Corpus Christi, Borglum toured Gulf Coast cities in order to identify other effective examples of harbor improvement. In the spring of 1928, city property holders approved part of his plan, but a subsequent bond election for the entire proposal was cancelled. A further attempt by the sculptor to secure New Deal funds for the bayfront was unsuccessful. Ultimately, his plans for sculpting four of the nation’s foremost presidents onto Mount Rushmore redirected Borglum’s attention away from Corpus Christi and its needed seawall.
The marker is located next to another historical marker commemorating the Corpus Christi Seawall at Schatzell Street and Shoreline Blvd.