Bayfront, castle-like home in Corpus Christi getting plenty of attention The home oozes South Texas history to boot

PHOTOS: Unique home in Corpus Christi hits the market A castle-style home on Corpus Christi’s Ocean Drive is garnering a lot of attention from prospective buyers. The five-bedroom home was built in 1937 and is one of the most distinctive properties along that historic Corpus roadway. Click through to see more photos of the historic residence... less PHOTOS: Unique home in Corpus Christi hits the market A castle-style home on Corpus Christi’s Ocean Drive is garnering a lot of attention from prospective buyers. The five-bedroom home was built in 1937 and is ... more Photo: Sandy Powell Photo: Sandy Powell Image 1 of / 48 Caption Close Bayfront, castle-like home in Corpus Christi getting plenty of attention 1 / 48 Back to Gallery

A castle-style home on Corpus Christi’s Ocean Drive is garnering a lot of attention from prospective buyers.

The five-bedroom house was built in 1937 and is one of the most distinctive properties along that historic Corpus roadway. There are a number of unique homes along Ocean Drive that catch the eye, including another one of the same vintage set on nearly 3 acres.

A price tag of $2, 750,000 gets you an unobstructed, 6,200 square-foot view of Corpus Christi Bay. It was just listed last week and is already making its listing agent a very busy person.

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Realtor Sandy Powell is handling the sale of the home at 3745 Ocean Drive, built by oil man Sam Wilson and his wife Ada. The family of Howard E. Butt, founder of the H-E-B grocery chain, were neighbors of the Wilsons at one time.

During the 1940s Wilson had 44 successful oil wells that cemented his family’s fortune. He also built a number of buildings in Corpus during his life and purchased some 7,000 acres of nearby Mustang Island.

After Sam Wilson died in 1957 and Ada Wilson visited England, the widow added the special two-story turret to the home. While on the trip she learned that her late husband was descended from royalty – after meeting the Queen no less -- and the addition was a tribute to him. These days it is used as a study.

Ada, known for her philanthropy in Corpus, died in 1977. The home changed hands a few times after that.

According to Powell, Irma Maria Liscano is the current owner of the home. She’s added a sauna, but seems to have kept most of the home’s most special features like the bar area and an Austrian crystal chandelier. It has a three-car garage and a separate living quarters as well, with a nifty pull-up bar out front. Some of the Italian-style flooring also remains.

Sadly a pigskin-lined stair case has been altered.

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With four full bathrooms and two half bathrooms it's also ideal for entertaining.

Powell did note that at one point in the home’s history it was directly on the bay, but when Corpus Christi built a seawall that all changed. The home does come with a piece of land that is adjacent to the beach across the street, as can be seen in drone shots of the residence.

A tunnel was built after the seawall came up that lead directly to the beach, but it has since been sealed up with concrete for security purposes. A few homes along Ocean Drive still have such amenities though.