CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Demolition began Wednesday at a Corpus Christi landmark that has been home to a variety of businesses.
Most people know it as the old Hacienda Recording Studio at Staples Street and Morgan. The building was severely damaged by Hurricane Harvey and on Wednesday, crews began the process of tearing it down.
WWII had just ended when the oriental laundry building went up in 1946.
"There's a lot of history there," said Rick Garcia, one-time vice president of the record label and the brother of Roland Garcia, who owned the building for decades.
"A lot of good artists and groups gravitated toward us," Garcia said.
"Like Gary Hobbs, the Hometown Boys, those and some other guys that started with us, David Lee, Ram, Emlio Navaira," Garcia said. "I mean all these guys came through the doors at Hacienda."
The old oriental laundry that operated from the 50s through the late 60s provided jobs for many folks. Then in the early 80s, Hacienda Records purchased the building and turned it into a recording studio.
"Hacienda will always be like the 'who's who' of Tejano music and conjunto music," Garcia said. "We had a great big building that celebrated our history and our heritage for so long."
The Ed Roshel Foundation purchased the building. There has been no word on what, if anything, will be built on that site.
"It's sad but the legacy is there," Garcia said. "No one can ever take that away. Hacienda Records."
Hacienda Records International has relocated to San Antonio and is now run by Michelle Garcia, the founder's daughter.