Aerial survey · USDA NAIP · public domainCorpus Christi's first skyscraper, opened 1927, now closed for renovation — staff long reported shadow figures and a disembodied shouting voice on empty upper floors.
606 N Carancahua St, Corpus Christi, TX 78401
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Building closed to public as of October 2024 pending renovation. Exterior viewable from street.
Access
Limited Access
Urban downtown setting; building currently closed
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1927 · Corpus Christi's first skyscraper (1927) · Steel-framed concrete construction on historic residential bluff · Downtown Corpus Christi commercial anchor for nearly a century
J. Maston Nixon broke ground on what would become Corpus Christi's skyline-defining structure in the mid-1920s. When the Nixon Building opened on March 27, 1927, its 12 stories made it the tallest commercial building in the city — a steel-framed concrete tower rising above a bluff that had, until then, been occupied by the homes of the city's wealthier residents. The building introduced modern office space to a downtown district still finding its commercial footing.
In 1951, developer Sam E. Wilson purchased the complex and added a 17-story west tower, eventually creating what he named Wilson Plaza — a 310,000-square-foot complex that combined the original 1927 east building with retail and restaurant space. The complex remained a downtown Corpus Christi fixture for nearly seven decades, at various points housing government offices, commercial tenants, and a city detention center.
By the early 2020s, maintenance had deteriorated significantly. The building lost air conditioning in January 2023 and accumulated citations for broken elevators, a faulty fire suppression system, and failure to pass annual fire inspections. The complex closed to all tenants and operations on October 25, 2024. The current owners have stated plans for extensive renovation, though no timeline has been confirmed.
The building is listed among multiple 'most haunted' compilations for Corpus Christi, drawing on accounts from former office workers and security staff who reported anomalous activity during the building's years of active use.
Sources
The paranormal reputation of Wilson Plaza East is rooted entirely in firsthand staff accounts rather than any documented fatal incident at the property. A 2016 student news piece from Island Waves interviewed former and current tenants who described a consistent pattern: a feeling of being watched in empty hallways, shadow figures seen in peripheral vision on upper floors, and elevator cars stopping at floors where no one had called them.
One former worker, identified as James, told Island Waves his experiences traced back to the 1970s — doors opening and closing without explanation, elevators behaving erratically during off-hours when he was the only person in the building. Multiple other office workers reported the same phenomena across different decades, suggesting the accounts are not isolated.
The most distinctive report is a disembodied male voice described as shouting, heard on empty floors in the early morning hours. Security staff who worked overnight shifts were among the most consistent reporters of this detail.
No specific identity has been proposed for the presence, and no documented deaths at the property have been identified in available historical records. The accounts belong to the broader category of office-building paranormal lore — cumulative witness testimony without a traceable originating event.
Wilson Plaza East, the 12-story 1927 Nixon Building, is viewable from N Carancahua Street. The complex is currently closed for renovation and not accessible to the public. The building's exterior preserves the original Art Deco commercial facade that anchored uptown Corpus Christi for nearly a century.
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