Acme Dry Goods Building
Llano, Llano County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Built in 1892 by Llano builder and stonemason John Goodman (8152-1935), this turn-of-the-century commercial row structure has housed a succession of dry goods merchants, including Mrs. Riley's Millinery, Carlton's Dry Goods, and a store operated by Martin Jacobs. It was purchased in 1919 by the Acme Dry Goods Company. The one-story brick structure features round-arch transoms, keystones, and double store-front windows. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1997
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Raised in 1892 by Llano stonemason John Goodman, this brick commercial row housed a parade of merchants — milliners, dry goods dealers, and clothiers — before the Acme Dry Goods Company bought it in 1919 and gave it its lasting name. Its round-arch transoms, keystones, and paired storefront windows are hallmarks of turn-of-the-century Main Street commerce. It became a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1997.
Why it matters
Buildings like this one are the surviving fabric of the small-town commercial districts where everyday American economic life unfolded a century ago.
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Related people
- · John Goodman
- · Martin Jacobs
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Lantex Theater
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Llano County Courthouse
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Frank Teich
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Ford Street Commercial Row
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These three attached buildings are believed to be the work of John Goodman, a stonemason who emigrated from Germany to Llano in 1878, and they show the corbelled brickwork typical of early twentieth-century commerce. Since 1904 the buff-and-red brick row has sheltered an astonishing variety of businesses — furniture and liquor stores, cafes and saloons, a saddle shop, a domino hall, and a theater among them. In 1989 the buildings were adapted to house the Llano County Library.