Summer’s not over yet; there’s still time to enjoy a county fair, balloon festival, or a sandcastle contest.
For many years the old Nueces County Courthouse in Corpus Christi has stood at a crossroads – both figuratively and literally. Built in 1914 at a cost of $250,000, the six-story former hall of justice was vacated in 1977 for a new building across town. For the last 48 years the building stood empty and fenced off at the junction of IH37 and US181. County officials and restoration engineers have wrestled with what to do with the structure voted five times “the most beautiful courthouse in Texas.” While they talked, the cost of renovation skyrocketed to over $120 million. The Ed Rachal Foundation offered to buy the building and tear it down. They’re the same charitable organization who offered to replace the historic Hotel Luther in Palacios with a modern extended-stay hotel. The Texas Historical Commission blocked the proposal. This past spring the commission reversed course and removed the property’s historical preservation easement, clearing the way for the edifice’s final destruction. No demolition date has been announced.
Construction delays. Officials at the Big Bend National Park in far West Texas have announced that the popular Chisos Basin area of the park will remain open through this year’s winter season. This includes the Chisos Basin visitor center, Chisos Basin campground, and the trail system in the basin. Original plans were to close the area on May 1, 2025, but work has been delayed multiple times during this past summer. The construction start date has been pushed to May 1, 2026, and will continue for approximately two years. The project will replace the lodge and restaurant that was built in 1964 and replace aging water lines. Funding for the project comes from the Great American Outdoors Act, a bipartisan bill to address a massive backlog of deferred maintenance on public lands.
Overnight lodging in the Chisos Basin will soon be available for Sept. 25, 2025 through April 18, 2026. Lodging options are handled through Casa Grande Hospitality. Reservations for campsites should be made at www.recreation.gov. Once construction begins, the road to Chisos Basin will be closed. The rest of the park, including the Rio Grande Village RV Park and Campground and Cottonwood Campground (closed during the summer), will remain open during the construction.
Travel Notes:
American master. Take a cinematic journey down the Colorado River with The American Southwest. Directed by Ben Masters (The River and the Wall, Deep in the Heart), the documentary takes audiences on an expedition from the Colorado River’s headwaters to its historic delta. The adventure opens Sept. 5 in theaters in Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, California, and Colorado. Select screenings will feature community engagement opportunities, educational programming, and Q&As with conservationists, Indigenous leaders, and the filmmaking team. There are lots of stops in Texas. Locally, it’s playing at AFS Cinema and at the Stars & Stripes Drive-In Theatre in New Braunfels. (Read the Chronicle‘s recent interview with Ben Masters.)
Maps as art. The Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute (NRI) launched its new online Map Store, offering the public access to a curated collection of award-winning maps that are as beautiful as they are informative. Each one of the initial six colorful maps goes beyond traditional cartography to such subjects as historic cattle drive trails, boundaries of Texas aquifers, night lights, river basins, and ecoregions. Granted, these are of most interest to those who can see the beauty of some pretty wonky topics. The maps are available as digital downloads or printed posters.
Until further notice. Out of an abundance of caution, the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens will be closed until Texas Parks and Wildlife Department completes emergency repairs to a steel column that structurally supports the main visitor center building. The TFFC reopened on July 1 after extensive remodeling of exhibits, displays, and aquaria in the main visitor center unrelated to the damaged support column. Updates on the repair and the re-opening date will be communicated through the TFFC website and social media accounts. Hatchery operations and fish production at TFFC will be unimpacted and continue as normal…