Montgomery Ward Building

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Montgomery Ward Building in Hale County. Now settle in, because even a building can have a story worth stopping for. Back in 1929, right there in Plainview, somebody put up a commercial structure meant to house the Montgomery Ward store.

And they didn't just throw up four walls and call it a day. No sir. Whoever drew up the plans had taste, or at least they had a budget for glazed terra cotta and multicolored tile.

That architectural style, all that decorative detailing, wasn't just a one-time flourish. The company used it in several of their other Texas stores, which means somewhere out there, other towns got a little slice of that same look. The land itself was owned by J.H.

Slaton, Guy Jacob, and others, and on that ground the Montgomery Ward store set up shop and stayed for almost forty years. Almost forty years of commerce, of customers coming through the door, of Plainview growing up around it. Now the business is long gone from those walls, but the building remains, and the marker calls it what it is: a reminder of Plainview's early commercial development.

Sometimes the most honest thing a building can do is just stand there and remember.

What the marker says

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