Take a Walk in Downtown Greenville

Kress logo in the entry of the Landon Winery & Bistro building at 2508 Lee Street.

Now that it’s September the weather should have cooled down some, just perfect for a walk in Downtown Greenville. Not to explore current locations, but to muse about the past.

Let’s start with my favorite location, at the heart of Hunt County. I refer to the 1929 Hunt County Courthouse. Architect W. R. Ragsdale worked closely with Page Brothers Architects in Austin. As a result our courthouse is the prototype for the Travis County Courthouse in Austin. There are a couple of secrets to our courthouse that I treasure. The north side is the official entry to the courthouse. Go to the left side of the steps to enter. You will see a massive steel door, painted brown with a big handle. That was where deputies brought drunks on Saturday night to sober up before being jailed on the fifth and sixth floors. Today deputies who man the entry desk hang out in that room.

Climb the main staircase and stop on the second floor. Find the hall running east and west. At each end of that hall are stairs. Look at the murals painted on the walls as you step back down to the ground floor. I have no idea who painted them or when, but I think they are interesting.

Now leave the courthouse the way you entered; otherwise an alarm will go off. Look across Lee Street for some more unusual sites. Directly across the street is a shop with a recessed doorway. On either side are waist-high windows for displays of jewelry. At one time it was Taylor Brothers Jewelry. Before that it was owned and operated by Glen Coulson. At least three such stores lined Lee Street. None still sell jewelry.

The distinctive curved glass at the entrance to the old Kress store, now Landon Winery & Bistro.

If you haven’t looked carefully at Landon’s Winery, now is the time to do so. Notice the curved marble and glass on the bottom floor of the façade. That and the brass name KRESS on the floor in front of each door, identifies that as a Kress Store, a highly successful Five and Ten Cent Store across the country during the Depression of the 1930s.

Turn right and walk to the corner of Washington and Johnson. Look at the red brick building that today houses My Sister’s Closet. Notice the brickwork on the Ende Building and how thin the mortar is. I suspect this was a sign of prosperity at the beginning of the 20th Century. Bricks like those cost much more that mortar. But on the side facing Washington, common brick were used.

Turn around and walk north on Johnson to see two other interesting spots. First you will see the massive red brick and white stone IOOF Lodge. When Fred Ende arrived in Greenville in 1857 from Germany, he organized the first chapter of the International Order of Odd Fellows. The chapter and building are named for him. Like the Masonic Lodge, IOOF is a fraternal group present in many Texas towns.

Just north of the IOOF building is one of my very favorite buildings, although it could use some tender, loving care. It is a classic Mid-Century Modern built by J. P. “Punk” McNatt for his Cadillac dealership. Right after World War II, American and European automobile factories had to reconvert from making war machinery and return to production of cars and trucks. Americans were eager for new cars as few were sold during the Depression. The building is filled with antique automobiles of the period today. Cadillacs sold like hotcakes for McNatt.