DUANE
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Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Now, some buildings in Plano have a story, and some buildings have several. The W.
D. McFarlin Building falls firmly into that second category. McFarlin purchased this place in 1885, and right away it earned itself a spot in the record books as one of the oldest brick buildings in Plano.
But here's the thing about 1885 buildings in a Texas town, they have a way of getting tested. And sure enough, 1895 rolled around, and a fire destroyed the original building. Ten years of history, gone.
Now, a lot of men might have looked at a pile of ash and charred timber and walked away from the whole enterprise. Not McFarlin. He rebuilt, and this time he built it out of brick.
Solid, stubborn, unburnable brick. One year after that rebuilding, Schoolfield Drugs moved right in and set up shop. Then E.
A. Carpenter bought the business and operated a drug store on this very spot until 1908, when it was sold to Allen Brothers Drug Store. The building cycled through lives the way a good corner property does.
A grocery store. A dry goods store. A drug store.
Other businesses whose names the years have softened. Through all of it, the McFarlin family held on. Held on for sixty-five years, all told, until 1950, when they finally let it go.
Sixty-five years of one family, one building, one corner of Plano. That's not just real estate. That's a grip.
What the marker says
This building was purchased by W.D. McFarlin in 1885 and is considered one of the oldest brick buildings in Plano. A fire in 1895 destroyed the original building and McFarlin rebuilt the building out of brick. One year later, Schoolfield Drugs moved into the building. E.A. Carpenter bought the business and operated a drug store here until 1908 when it was sold to Allen Brothers Drug Store. The building remained in the McFarlin family for 65 years until it was sold in 1950. This building served as a grocery store, a dry goods store, drug store and other businesses.