We met at the Turtle Restaurant, which is owned by Mary Stanley, known here as Zootwoman. The restaurant is in the last storefront on the right of the one story building. This is a shot of everyone looking at the building.
Next door, is the Montgomery Ward store.
The Stanleys have purchased the building and they allowed us to look inside. This is the view when you walk in the door.
This is the view from the front mezzanine looking toward the back. It appears this mezzanine was for the accounting and store manager. The back mezzanine was a sales level.
One of the light fixtures still remaining. The fans are also original, but I didn't get a picture of one of them.
Second floor with the staircase.
Third Floor.
This is a view looking up Center Avenue. The street bends where the two grids in the city come together.
At the opposite end of the block from the Ward's store is Hamilton's. This building burned and it has been brought back to life. The style of this building is Streamline Moderne from the late Art Deco period. It was built in 1947.
Diagonally across Center Street, is an old theater that is now a frames shop. The little one story building with the modern facade on it is actually the remains of an early 1900's historic hotel that was originally built three stories, then two floors were added on top. The building was destroyed by fire and then the remaining first floor was left in place and later remodeled.
Another restaurant in downtown is Steve's Market and Deli. Steve was also one of our tour guides.
Another block up Center Avenue is the old Lyric Theater, with an intact interior.
The interior of the theater:
Behind the Lyric is an interesting building that has an arcade along the street.
This building was an old bank and it is being restored with offices on the ground floor and two loft apartments are being built on the second floor.
Across the street from the bank, is this building. Many of the structures in downtown Brownwood are sandstone.
As we went back to Center Avenue, we approached the point where the grid shifts. This is the little building at the turn and an old theater has been converted into a furniture store on the right. They still used the old sign for the theater. This furniture store has closed and the space is for lease.
As Center Avenue turns, two other streets come in from the east. Each one aligns with a different grid. This leaves a very small triangular block where a building was placed.
The Brown County Courthouse is interesting. The exterior as we see it was completed in 1917, but hidden inside is an even older stone courthouse.
This is the old Jail. We were allowed to tour the inside, as well.
This alley was interesting evidence of previous remodelings on the adjacent buildings.
Toward the end of the afternoon, we returned along Center Avenue. This is looking south at the old furniture store/theater at the grid shift.
The city's tallest building is the Hotel Brownwood. It has been vacant for many years, but serves as a reminder of how prosperous the city was at one time.
This old building has been converted into residential for the elderly. Another nice old building.
By the time we arrived back at the Turtle, it was starting to get dark and it was time to head back to Fort Worth. Before I end this thread, I have a group shot I took. From left to right are: Steve, one of the Brownwood tourguides, Zootwoman, AndyN, Dismuke, Brenda McClurkin (from Historic Fort Worth), and Bryanr.
