Montgomery Ward Building
Plainview, Hale County, Texas
Marker Inscription
This commercial structure was built in 1929 for the Plainview Montgomery Ward store. Located on land owned by J.H. Slaton, Guy Jacob and others, the building housed the business for almost 40 years. The architectural style, which features detailing of glazed terra cotta and multicolored tile, was utilized in several of the company's other Texas stores. The building now serves as a reminder of Plainview's early commercial development. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1982
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Built in 1929 on the eve of the Great Depression, this Plainview store housed Montgomery Ward for nearly four decades. Its glazed terra cotta and multicolored tile — a signature look the mail-order giant repeated across its Texas stores — brought big-city retail style to the High Plains. The building endures as a landmark of the town's early commercial growth.
Why it matters
It reflects how national chain retailers stamped their corporate architecture on small American cities in the boom years of the 1920s.
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