Tara Andrews
One of the Oldest Buildings in Texarkana
The 1894 City Market
​
I chose the 1894 Gallery to look at for my last project. It is listed as one of the oldest buildings still in use in Texarkana, TX. It is now an art gallery, but was not yet open to the public when I went to take pictures.
​
One of my greatest pet peeves is seeing an old building completely demolished, or otherwise 're-done' to make use of its space or 'bones'. This is happening with the new location for Ellis Home & Garden, just off of Richmond Rd. Comparing how the 1894 Gallery makes use of the old brick and paint of the Ritchie Grocery Building; Ellis should have kept the red tin from the original building!
​
In this picture, my favorite feature is the green edging along the roof line, modern buildings do not use details like this anymore.
I wanted to show the Google maps image, since it was before the renovation on the art gallery. This picture is from December 2012, and you can tell by the Christmas wreaths in the upper level windows.
​
In this picture, you can see the overhang framework is exposed. This is interesting, because most renovators probably would have just torn it down, but the gallery refurbished it. They also added an extension to the front. (shown below) It looks like there will be outdoor events held here to exhibit some of the art and garner local interest.
Here is the extension, mentioned in the previous paragraph. It looks like there will be room for tables, maybe bar top style. The venue can host all different kinds of outdoor events with this extension. It looks pretty big from the photograph, but it does not impede into the street much at all.
​
I have seen many different restaurants and bars trying to bring the downtown area back to life, and this art gallery looks like it is joining the fight. One other location is Redbone Magic Brewing LLC. They have a tagline, Make Texarkana Great Again.
​
I think the audience they are trying to attract is an adult audience, probably middle to upper class. With the iron railing, and fancy outdoor art events, there is sure to be alcohol offered. I plan on going back in the next few weeks to see when they are going to open.
Original brick paint from the grocery distribution company, faded, old, would be cool to enhance
​
This picture shows the area to the right of the front door of the gallery. There is original brick paint that has the words 'Ritchie Grocer Co.', 'Budget', 'Save Save Save' , and 'Desks, Chairs, Files' is legible on the wall. This tells me that this company was committed to helping the community by offering food and sundry at reasonable prices.
​
I think that the art gallery chose to leave this on the wall to showcase the history of the building, and to make sure that the citizens of Texarkana know that it cares about its history.
This picture shows the historical marker for the company, established in 1894. Unfortunately, the marker is located on the opposite side of a telephone booth, down the sidewalk from the front door to the art gallery. Many people might not see it, because of this location. The telephone booth is shown in a photograph below.
​
I also included pictures of the window displays for the art gallery. I think it is neat how they are advertising the Texarkana Farmers Market (Something I have participated in, and still try to support) another indication of support for the local industry.
​
I am excited to see the opening of the gallery, and what kind of events they will hold.
