This is a stellar remnant of the architect-designed commercial blocks that once lined Leopard Street, the lively uptown version of downtown's business district. The two-part commercial block includes an elegant chamfered corner entrance with corbeled arch and oval window atop. The profusely elaborate cast-stone details sheathing its second story, including an undulating belt course, reveal the building as a nearly literal interpretation of the Baroque style.
In the next block, the Melba Theater (1927), at 1016 Leopard Street, by Hardy and Curran of Corpus Christi, is a Spanish Mediterranean entertainment venue that catered to Hispanic residents. It was owned by the Grossman family, who were also proprietors of a nearby department store oriented to Hispanic customers. The existence of these venues for Hispanics in a commercial artery that also catered to the Anglo-American population indicates a more relaxed attitude between the two cultures in Corpus Christi than in other Texas communities of the time. Today, little remains of the social and economic vibrancy once experienced on Leopard Street, as its urban fabric is interspersed with vacant buildings, empty lots, and parking areas.