Fellrath Building
Belton, Bell County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Built for J.M. Spencer between 1881 and 1891, this building served in its early years as part of the Smith & Peyton Hardware and Buggy Shop and as the Everett Grain Company. In 1914 John Fellrath opened a tin and plumbing shop here and continued as owner of the building until his death in 1961. The Commercial Italianate structure is constructed of native brick and features round arched doors and a corbeled brick cornice at the roofline. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1984
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Raised in the boom decade after Belton's founding-era growth, this native-brick building passed through a hardware and buggy shop and a grain company before John Fellrath opened his tin and plumbing trade here in 1914. Its round-arched doors and corbeled brick cornice are textbook Commercial Italianate, the confident storefront style of small-town Texas at the turn of the century. Fellrath kept the building until his death in 1961, giving it the name it still carries.
Why it matters
Everyday commercial buildings like this one document how trades and merchants built the fabric of a Central Texas county seat.
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Related people
- · John Fellrath
- · J. M. Spencer
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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