Preslar-Hewitt Building

Duane's take

Here's what the official marker has to say, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Now, Taylor, Texas, cotton town, railroad town, the kind of place where commerce didn't just happen, it put down roots in brick and mortar. And one particular block knew exactly what it meant to anchor a community.

In 1914, a man named Hugo Hunke built himself a two-story commercial structure right there in Taylor's historic business district. Two stories. Solid.

Purposeful. First floor had room for two businesses, and if you headed upstairs, you'd find up to seven offices waiting to be put to work. Hugo wasn't thinking small.

Early on, Strand Tailors set up shop, and Menefee Grocery moved in to keep the neighbors fed and fitted. That block had everything it needed. Now, buildings like this one have a way of collecting stories over the years, swapping tenants the way a river swaps currents, always moving, always serving.

A variety of businesses came and went through those doors. But the name that stuck, the one that people in Taylor held onto, was Preslar-Hewitt Pharmacy. From 1929 all the way to 1954, that pharmacy was the heartbeat of the building, the reason folks remember the address at all.

And the building itself, well, it was never shy about its own good looks. Pilasters running up the face. Decorative capitals.

Transoms letting the light do its thing. Tilework that somebody clearly took pride in laying. And up top, an entablature finished with a dentil course, that little row of tooth-shaped ornaments that says, plain as anything, this place was built to be noticed and built to last.

Hugo Hunke put up a building in 1914 to anchor a block, and ninety years later, Taylor's still telling the story.

What the marker says

The early growth of Taylor as a vital cotton and railroad center is reflected in its historic business district. Hugo Hunke built this two-story commercial structure in 1914 to anchor an important block. It provided first floor space for two businesses and up to seven offices on the second floor. Early occupants included Strand Tailors and Menefee Grocery. It has served a variety of other businesses, but is remembered as the site of Preslar-Hewitt Pharmacy, 1929-1954. Detailing includes pilasters, capitals, transoms, decorative tilework and an entablature with dentil course. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2004