The Old Nueces County Courthouse in Corpus Christi might yet have a future in new development that could come to the downtown area once the old Harbor Bridge is torn down. Courtesy photo
After canceling a deal with a developer to turn the Old Nueces County Courthouse into a boutique hotel, County Judge Loyd Neal wrote a letter to the Texas Historical Commission asking permission to tear down the 104-year-old building.
“I submit to you today that this is the end of the road for the building,” Neal wrote in the letter. “Every possible avenue for restoring it has been explored, and we must now accept the fact that it is impossible.”
The letter came on the heels of Neal’s ultimatum to the Nueces County Courthouse Development Partners LLC, which had earlier in the year signed an agreement to purchase the building for $1,000 plus $1.2 million in back taxes. The company was formed by Steve Coon of Coon Restoration, Steve Goodman, a financier from Fort Worth, and Jim McCue, a construction contractor with Coon Restoration. Coon Restoration is known for its historic restorations. It planned to spend about $50 million on this project but was struggling to get a $20 million construction loan lined up when Neal pulled the plug.
Neal acknowledge that a local person, company, or organization is interested in purchasing the property for the land but not the building. He refused to reveal the entity.
Abandoned since 1977, the building sits at the entrance to the city’s Sports, Entertainment, and Arts District in the heart of downtown. According to the judge, the building is an eyesore and a danger, but the land and location are valuable and important to the continued development of downtown. Once the old Harbor Bridge is demolished in 2021, the land at 1100 N. Mesquite St. will most likely become even more valuable.
The old courthouse cannot be torn down until 2027, according to an agreement with the Texas Historical Commission made several years ago. The county received a grant of $1.5 million to shore up the building for safety reasons with the caveat that any future work would have to meet commission standards for preservation.
“As public officials, we owe this to our community, South Texas, and all of Texas to do what is right and to finally put an end to this dangerous and unsightly embarrassment at the gateway to our community," Neal continued in the letter.
The Texas Historical Commission has never removed an easement from a building and, in fact, turned down a similar request from the Nueces County commissioners in August 2011. Then-Commissioner Mike Pulsey presented the historical commission with a resolution approved by the entire Commissioners Court to raze the building. The historical commission said no.
That resolution was rescinded in 2016 when a group of contractors and investors became interested in developing the property. In April 2018, Nueces County accepted a check for $10,000 in earnest money along with an agreement to pay $1.5 million in back taxes. That deal fell through just recently.
“The community is no longer willing to tolerate this, and we must do what is right in razing the building now and not wait until 2027,” Neal wrote.
If the 15-member historical commission board decides not to lift its covenant restriction, the matter could be settled by state legislation. A bill approved in the next legislative session would override the commission. State Reps. Todd Hunter (R-Corpus Christi) and Abel Herrero (D-Corpus Christi) and state Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa (D-Corpus Christi) are working with the judge on the issue, Neal said.
“To wait another 10 years for the inevitable is not an option,” Neal concluded in his letter. “I hope the Texas Historical Commission agrees.”
