R. J. Hill Building
Palacios, Matagorda County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Robert J. (1864-1930) and Kate Elizabeth (Breggan) Hill came to Palacios in 1904, soon after its founding. Contractor J. G. Bontrager built this concrete block commercial building for them in 1910. It originally housed a mercantile store with living quarters on the upper floor. Later uses included medical offices, a Depression-era canning kitchen, American Legion hall, Montgomery Ward store and a museum. Featuring elements of the Richardsonian Romanesque style, the Hill Building remains a prominent structure in downtown Palacios. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2000
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Robert J. and Kate Hill arrived in the newly founded town of Palacios in 1904, and in 1910 contractor J. G. Bontrager built them this sturdy concrete-block commercial block with living quarters above the store. Over the decades its ground floor served an astonishing range of civic and commercial needs—a mercantile, medical offices, a Depression-era canning kitchen, an American Legion hall, a Montgomery Ward, and finally a museum. Its Richardsonian Romanesque lines still anchor downtown.
Why it matters
It shows how a single small-town commercial building could serve as the shifting economic and social hub of a Gulf Coast community across the twentieth century.
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Related people
- · Robert J. Hill
- · Kate Elizabeth Hill
- · J. G. Bontrager
Themes & tags
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