Ford Street Commercial Row

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Ford Street Commercial Row in Llano County. Now settle in, because this one's about brick and mortar, but don't let that fool you. Some buildings have more lives than a barn cat.

These three attached structures, standing there solid as conviction, are believed to have been built by a man named John Goodman, a builder and stone mason who made his way to Llano all the way from Germany, back in 1878. He worked in brick and stone, and the man knew what he was doing. The buff and red brick, the corbelled brickwork along the top edges, those are the hallmarks of early twentieth century commercial construction, and Goodman's hand shows in every course.

Now, here's where the story gets interesting. Since 1904, those three walls have held just about every kind of business a Texas town could dream up. Furniture stores.

Liquor stores. Cafes. Saloons.

Mercantiles. Bakeries. A saddle shop.

A domino hall. A feed store. And a theater.

Think about that parade for a moment. Somebody's grandmother bought her wedding furniture in there. Somebody's grandfather lost a game of dominoes in there and never quite got over it.

The building just kept on going, swapping one life for another, decade after decade. Then in 1989, those old buff and red brick walls got their latest calling, when the buildings were adapted for use by the Llano County Library. From saloons to storybooks.

John Goodman built something that outlasted every single thing it was ever used for, and it's still standing, still useful, still right there on Ford Street. That's not just good masonry. That's a legacy.

What the marker says

These three attached structures are believed to have been built by John Goodman, a builder and stone mason who immigrated to Llano from Germany in 1878. They exhibit typical features of early 20th century commercial structures, including corbelled brickwork. Since 1904, the buff and red brick structures have housed a variety of businesses, including furniture stores, liquor stores, cafes, saloons, mercantiles, bakeries, a saddle shop, domino hall, feed store, and theater. In 1989 the buildings were adapted for use by the Llano County Library. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1992