In the News

Monday, March 31, 2014 CORPUS CHRISTI (Kiii News) – Corpus Christi Mayor Nelda Martinez got her hands dirty Monday helping to pour concrete for the new Cosmopolitan high rise going up at the site of the old Lichtenstein building on Chaparral Street. Crews began pouring concrete for the structure Tuesday, March 11, starting with the northern base of the high rise, and then pouring concrete for over 600 separate pilings for the six-story structure a week later. “It’s an honor to be here,” Martinez...

Staff Reports Wednesday, March 12, 2014 CORPUS CHRISTI — What a cost-effective way to speed the pace of downtown Corpus Christi’s rejuvenation — code enforcement. Think about it. City code enforcers already are on the clock. Might as well give them stricter codes to enforce against owners of vacant, unsightly downtown property. Vacant doesn’t have to appear synonymous with abandoned, that uncomfortably close cousin of seedy. Vacant should be synonymous with move-in ready, kissin’ cousin of “site of your future successful business.” As Kirsten...

Tuesday, March, 11 2014 CORPUS CHRISTI (Kiii News) – The concrete started pouring Tuesday as contractors began building the new Cosmopolitan high rise at the site of the old Lichtenstein building on Chaparral Street. It is a milestone for the $28 million high rise and retail complex planned for the block located at Chaparral and William streets. The largest single block of concrete for the building was poured by an Austin contractor Tuesday afternoon. It will be the northern base of the new high...

PIER POUNDING FOR THE COSMOPOLITAN TO BEGIN WEDNESDAY By: Mike Baird Friday, February 28, 2014 CORPUS CHRISTI — The sound of progress will get louder downtown beginning Wednesday as 490 piers are pounded into the ground for The Cosmopolitan. Demolition of the former Lichtenstein Department Sore building, built in 1941, is complete and site utility installation is being finished at the first of the week, officials said. “It will be as loud as pile driving and will create some vibration,” said Project Manager Robert...

By: Kirsten Crow Wednesday, February 19, 2014 CORPUS CHRISTI — A two-block stretch of North Chaparral Street reopened to vehicle traffic Wednesday afternoon, in a move downtown stakeholders hoped would signify a reboot for the businesses that struggled during a year’s worth of construction as part of a revitalization effort. The $4.8 million construction project, funded through voter-approved 2008 bonds, has been ongoing for the blocks between William and Schatzell streets since last February. The work included widened sidewalks and sea-scaped brick pavers in...

Tuesday, December 3, 2013 CORPUS CHRISTI (Kiii News) – A big part of the city’s history came tumbling down this weekend — the old Lichtenstein department store building downtown. The building is being demolished to make way for a high rise, and the contractor says they decided to topple the highest part of the building over the weekend to avoid choking downtown with a cloud of dust. House of Rock Owner Casey Lain captured it on video. “We’ve manually taken the roof and the...

Staff Reports Sunday, November 10, 2013 CORPUS CHRISTI — Brad Lomax Chaparral Street improvements This seems like a really good time to publicly thank the citizens of Corpus Christi for their support of the Chaparral Street improvements that are nearing completion downtown. This multimillion-dollar, voter-approved project represents the most visible and significant commitment to our downtown area since we opened the Water Street Oyster Bar in December of 1983. So Thank you! The good news so far is that our community’s investment seems to...

By Rachel Denny Clow Friday, November 8, 2013 CORPUS CHRISTI — Just 12 days into the demolition of the former Lichtenstein, workers are already five days ahead of schedule. Camacho Demolition workers continued tear down on Friday, with workers on lifts removing bricks by hand on the Chaparral Street side and other workers spraying down demolition debris and using heavy equipment to knock down large sections “All of the brick on the front face (of the building) has to be taken out by hand...