Nueces County leaders have voted unanimously to award a $1.3 million contract to demolish the historic 1914 Nueces County Courthouse in downtown Corpus Christi. The Nueces County Commissioners Court approved a plan that allows contractors to remove asbestos and tear down the 110-year-old structure. The demolition is expected to take about 130 days once work begins at the site, according to reports from local television stations KRIS-TV and KIII-TV. Recent engineering studies estimated that restoring it could cost as much as $120 million.
The decision brings nearly five decades of debate over the deteriorating building closer to an end. The decision follows several failed plans to redevelop the building.
Because we don’t want to keep things that are going to harm people, so we have to be really careful in what we keep,. county leaders have confirmed that they will document the site and save historical items where it is safe to do so Although heavy machinery will eventually tear down the main building.
During a meeting of the Commissioners Court, local officials said they needed to balance historic preservation with serious health risks inside the damaged building. “We have to make a book and we have to preserve some of the things like that,” Nueces County official Chesney said in remarks reported by KIII-TV. County leaders explained that historical records, books and selected architectural features would be catalogued. However, widespread asbestos contamination in the plaster and insulation limits what can safely be removed and stored. “But a lot of that stuff also has asbestos in it. Selected exterior plaques, stonework that is free of contamination and commemorative statues will be moved to local historical archives or used in future public displays.