68 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 10 Hunden Partners has enjoyed working with the City of Corpus Christi and Visit Corpus Christi (VCC) on a master plan to transform the American Bank Center complex into a vibrant new expansion of downtown. This expansion features a mixed-use entertainment and event district that will connect downtown to Whataburger Field and the rest of the ABC Complex through an activated urban trail. Recognizing the need for a new headquarters hotel for the convention center, Hunden led a study which recommended the flagship hotel to be a minimum of 600 rooms and flanked by three surrounding hotels. The convention center itself will be renovated and expanded to include a new, state-of-the-art 40,000-square foot ballroom, one of the largest in Texas (and the U.S.), an improved exhibit hall, and several new breakout meeting rooms. This evolution will allow the convention center and Corpus Christi to compete and win business throughout Texas and nationally. But a convention center and compelling hotel package are not enough to attract sustainable success. Visitors, event planners and attendees want a vibrant destination to walk to from their event and hotel. Texas’ most successful event cities like San Antonio and Austin have paved the way for Corpus Christi to attract a private developer to create such a vibrant and authentic district and new neighborhood of its own. Corpus Christi also has a natural gem few other markets have…a beautiful beach and waterfront right outside the front door of the convention center and surrounding district. Putting all these pieces together will result in a destination package that surprises newcomers who have yet to discover Corpus Christi and delights residents with a vibrant, new neighborhood. Hunden Partners is thrilled to be a part of the inspired placemaking that Corpus Christi is creating for the next generation of the City’s development. For more information, visit: www.hunden.com CORPUS CHRIST I , TE XAS The city also boasts a fascinating history that has led to the enviable position that it enjoys today. Originally the province of the Karankawas people, an indigenous nomadic tribe that lived along the Gulf of Mexico’s western shore. Corpus Christi can trace its roots back to the Spanish conquistador and cartographer, Alonzo Álvarez de Pineda who explored the area in 1519, and named the semitropical bay, Corpus Christi (body of Christ), in honor of the Roman Catholic Feast Day. Further Spanish explorations took place in the mid-18th century, but the first known permanent settlement, a small trading post, was established in 1839 by Colonel Henry Lawrence Kinney. In 1845, Kinney’s Ranch, as it was known, was temporarily occupied by U.S. troops commanded by General, and future President, Zachary Taylor, in preparation for America’s war with Mexico. In 1852, the city was incorporated as Corpus Christi, in commemoration of de Pineda’s first discovery of the sparkling bay over 300 years before. The area is known for its beautiful beaches; its hunting, fishing, boating, and water sports opportunities; its bird and wildlife sanctuaries; and its rich cultural offerings. The city is also home to Naval Air Station Corpus Christi and today is one of the city’s largest employers.
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