The city of South Padre Island will see the building of its long-awaited historical museum after being awarded a $1.5-million federal grant via funds from the American Rescue Plan.
The grant will go through the Economic Development Administration and will be matched with $375,00 in local funds. It is expected to generate $1.2 million in private investment. City leaders hope the new museum will be open by summer 2023.
Community leaders for years have envisioned such a museum to tell the story of an island that has gone from native Karankawa Indians to Spanish land grants and mysterious 18th Century shipwrecks to today’s developments of gleaming high-rise buildings.
“Many people believe there’s not much history here, but there is really much more than anyone could believe,” said Dennis Franke, a prominent South Padre Island realtor and property developer who is also the president of the local historical foundation. “The museum will allow us to display that history, and to see how this Island came to be what it is today.”
The museum will sit at 610 Padre Boulevard in the building formerly housing the South Padre Island Chamber of Commerce. Franke said the building will be receive extensively remodeling and improvements to house a museum. Numerous exhibits will touch on the progression of coastal history through the lens of South Padre. For the Island, it’s a tourist attraction addition that will supplement beach life and give visitors an another thing to do beyond surf and sun.
“The city is eager to welcome more opportunities for our visitors to experience and learn about our Island,” Mayor Patrick McNulty said. “As an indoor museum, it will provide an activity for our visitors to take a break from our great outdoor activities as well as an additional activity during the rare days that we have inclement weather.”
Franke is promising a fascinating look at Island history, “from ranches to shipwrecks,” to the building of causeways in the 20th century and “the first development of commercial construction” in the 1950s to the present day.