DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. You're looking at a building that didn't just show up by accident — it was built with purpose, built with ambition, built right in the middle of one of those moments when Houston was reaching for something bigger than itself. That moment was the post-World War I economic boom, and the merchants and manufacturers of Houston needed a place to house their activities, a place worthy of the energy they were riding.
So they built one. This building was constructed to be exactly that — a home base for commerce, for industry, for the kind of deals and movement that makes a city hum. And the location wasn't chosen carelessly, either.
Whoever picked the spot made sure it offered access to water, rail, and truck transportation of goods. That's three modes of getting things where they needed to go, all within reach. Completed in 1930, it became known simply as the M and M Building — short for Merchants and Manufacturers — and it was noted, noted mind you, for its structural and functional design.
But here's where it gets interesting, because functional doesn't have to mean plain. Not in 1930, and not if you're doing it right. This building prominently features cast concrete art deco detailing.
Art deco. That sweeping, geometric, optimistic style of an era that believed the future was arriving on schedule. Concrete shaped into something that stops you mid-step and makes you look up.
And there it still stands in Harris County — a monument to boom-time Houston, dressed up in the language of its era, built to move goods and ended up making a statement.
What the marker says
This building was constructed to house the activities of Houston's merchants and manufacturers during the post-World War I economic boom. Its location provided access to water, rail, and truck transportation of goods. Completed in 1930, the M & M Building, as it came to be known, was noted for its structural and functional design. It prominently features cast concrete art deco detailing. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1984