June 21, 2007

Taylor

Taylor, Texas (population: 11,472), is 35 NE of Austin. I did Taylor on the same day as Bartlett and Granger.

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Taylor National Bank Building (c. 1888, Romanesque Revival style)

When I first saw this sign from down the street, I just assumed it was another old single screen movie theater (the other being the Howard), but it turned out to be an old hardware/appliance store (probably). It has a nearly perfect Frigidaire/Maytag neon sign where I would assume people used to load up their large appliances after purchase in the store.



Morning Glory mattresses ghost sign

IOOF Building, c. 1907


The latest incarnation of the Howard Theatre dates from around 1950.







3 comments:

Chasrich said...

My family and I used to visit relatives in Taylor often, including every Thanksgiving. Even though it's only about 30 miles from Austin, it seems so far removed from the hustle and bustle. Lots of historic buildings. From what I was told the Howard Theater had originally been a single screen theater that they eventually divided up into 2 screens.

Chris said...

Apparently, the original Howard Theatre was directly across the street from the one in this post. It was called The Ritz. The guy who owned the Howard bought the Ritz, and moved the Howard neon sign across the street around 1950.

Anonymous said...

I was born in this wonderful little town. There are so many old beautiful homes that someone needs to bring loving care to. People in Austin pay in the 300s for homes you can get to redo under a 100. A great place to be small town tucked away, not far from the city. Diamond in the rough, I bet there will be some beautiful updates within the next years.