Iconic 1914 Nueces County Courthouse sold

​​​CORPUS CHRISTI – After being shuttered for 40 years, the 1914 Nueces County Courthouse has found a new owner.

Jim McCue, Steve Coon, and Stephen Goodman have signed an agreement with the county to buy the building at 1100 N. Mesquite St. for $1,000.

While that sounds like a bargain, the buyers will also have to pay $1.5 million in back taxes by the end of a 90-day due diligence period.

Plans aren’t set in stone yet, but the developers say they’re leaning toward turning the building into a hotel. They will work with the Texas Historical Commission to receive state tax credits on the historic preservation.

The courthouse closed its doors in 1977, seven years after suffering severe damage from Hurricane Celia. The structure had survived hurricanes twice before, ​in 1919 and 1941.

For an extensive history of the building, read this blog post at Sometimes Interesting.