New things are coming to downtown Corpus Christi. In fact, one developer has plans for a large commercial building that once housed the headquarters for the state's largest and longest running family owned grocery chain.
This old HEB headquarters in the 800 block of North Broadway has seen a lot of the City's history, and Lynn Frazier, the businessman who recently bought it, wants to return it to its former glory of the 1950s and ensure that it's going to be around for many more years to come.
"When I was going to college 100 years ago, I was in Kingsville and its downtown area was the place to come and go party, clubbing, whatever, and eating and that kind of stuff. It was crazy during the 70s. All the traffic and the people who were down here," Businessman Lynn Frazier said. "It was so awesome."
Lynn Frazier remembers those days when Downtown was thriving. Now, the businessman is looking to turn the old HEB headquarters building into a mixed-use facility. He is going to move his company headquarters onto one floor of the building. The other floors will be used as retail and living space. The roof is going to be completely glassed in and will serve as an event center.
And the basement? Well, that's another story.
"We may think about a speakeasy idea down there, and that might work. We might have a small little gym for just the people in the building to be able to work out and have fun," Frazier said. "So that's what we're looking to do."
Speakeasies were popular back in the 1920s when alcohol was illegal. They were nightclubs that served the illegal brew.
Frazier's $10 million renovation plan also got the seal of approval on Tuesday from the City of Corpus Christi. The Reinvestment Zone #3 Board, mostly made up of city council members, approved a $520,000 incentive deal with Frazier. He gets the money if he actually goes through with his plans.
"Any cash is only spent after the fact when the project is completed and he submits his receipts for reimbursement. They double check those to make sure they meet the criteria for what those expenses were for," Corpus Christi Mayor Joe McComb said. "He's a good businessman and we're just excited that he's willing to invest money downtown."
Frazier is no stranger to development deals. He brought Fajitaville to North Beach, and right now he's also working on another $20 million development project there. He's hoping to begin his renovation of the old HEB building as early as October.
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