C. R. Rich Building
Lovelady, Houston County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Charles Rufus Rich (1857-1945) completed this building in 1906 as a combination ground floor general mercantile and second floor residence. A native of Texas, Rich had opened his business in Lovelady in the early 1900s. The commercial structure exhibits Italianate detailing and features paired corinthian colonettes beside the upper story windows. Ownership of the building remained in the Rich family for nearly 60 years.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Charles Rufus Rich (1857–1945) finished this Lovelady building in 1906 to house his general mercantile store on the ground floor and his family's residence above. A native Texan who had opened his business in the early 1900s, Rich gave the structure Italianate flourishes, including paired Corinthian colonettes framing the upstairs windows. The building stayed in the Rich family for nearly six decades.
Why it matters
Combination store-and-home buildings like this were the commercial anchors of small-town Main Streets, where a single merchant family both served and lived above the community.
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Related people
- · Charles Rufus Rich
Themes & tags
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