J. M. Koch's Hotel
D'Hanis, Medina County, Texas
Marker Inscription
J. M. and Mary Ann Koch owned and operated a hotel in D'Hanis beginning in 1898. They purchased the land on this site in July 1902, and built this hotel in 1906. Reportedly constructed by Chinese railroad laborers, it is built of early bricks from the D'Hanis brick plant. In December 1914 the Koch family sold the building, which continued as a hotel until 1920. The Farmers Exchange of D'Hanis purchased it that year for use as a feed store, adding a cotton scale to the east side of the structure. A later owner operated it as a boarding house. A simple but elegant early 20th century hotel with Late Victorian details, the edifice's notable architectural features include its symmetrical plan, three-bay façade with central door, paired round-arch windows, 2-story porch and corbelled brickwork on the parapet. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2000
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
When the railroad carried the town of D'Hanis to its new site, hospitality followed. J. M. and Mary Ann Koch, hotel keepers here since 1898, built this brick lodging in 1906 from bricks fired at the local D'Hanis plant—reportedly laid up by Chinese railroad laborers. It served travelers until 1920, then became a feed store for the Farmers Exchange and later a boarding house, its two-story porch, paired round-arched windows, and corbelled parapet marking it as an elegant small-town hotel of its day.
Why it matters
The building ties together the railroad, immigrant labor, and local brickmaking that shaped countless Texas railroad towns at the turn of the century.
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Related people
- · J. M. Koch
- · Mary Ann Koch
Themes & tags
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