Grande-Grossman House
Corpus Christi, Nueces County, Texas
Marker Inscription
This structure was built in 1904 as a residence for the family of Benito Grande (1865-1926). Originally located at 709 Artesian Street (approximately 1 mile southwest), it was moved here in 1982 to preserve it from demolition. Benito Grande moved to Corpus Christi with his parents in the late 1860's. Upon his father's death in 1902, Grande took over the family business and became a prominent and very successful leader in Corpus Christi's Mexican-American community. The Benito Grande family moved to Dallas in 1915. The home was acquired in 1925 for Rebecca Grossman, first matriarch of the Grossman family, who helped her older children emigrate from Russia during the early 1900's. Mrs. Grossman (b. 1870) lived here until her death in 1952. Descendants in Corpus Christi were outstanding leaders in business, medicine, law, politics, and religious affairs. Originally built with a two story central hall, the house has some bungalow style features. The porch, which encircles the house on three sides, was added by the Grossmans in the late 1920's. Its dominant features are the brick piers and the stick style brackets supporting the eaves. The Grande-Grossman house has been preserved as an expression of part of the heritage of Corpus Christi.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This Corpus Christi home was built in 1904 for Benito Grande, who arrived as a boy in the late 1860s and grew into a prominent leader of the city's Mexican-American community after taking over the family business. In 1925 the house was acquired for Rebecca Grossman, matriarch of a family she helped emigrate from Russia in the early 1900s, and her descendants became leaders in business, medicine, law, and politics. Moved to this site in 1982 to save it from demolition, the house blends two-story central-hall and bungalow features beneath a wraparound porch.
Why it matters
The Grande-Grossman house holds the intertwined immigrant stories — Mexican and Russian-Jewish — that helped build Corpus Christi's civic and commercial life.
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Related people
- · Benito Grande
- · Rebecca Grossman
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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