Historic 1892
Building For Sale
Located in Downtown Hearne, Texas, Robertson County.
Hearne ISD, City of Hearne Utilities including trash, water and power.
Historical, but not registered.
This 1892 Two story building is a very unique build. Contracted by J.M. Batley, the then Railroad Commissioner for the Brazos Valley area, commissioned this building for his personal business.
Batley transported goods from around the United States and had them brought to Hearne where he served as a distributer. Batley frequently held auction type sales from the building. Look at the picture and where the words "Robertson County News" appears was the landing foundation for a 12' upper deck that overlooked the street. The two center windows were in fact French doors that entered the deck.
Merchants would gathered on the top floor looking down on wagons (see photos) of merchandise as they rolled from the front, and through the building itself. Bidders, I would assume having a good time, would bid on the offerings. Built prior to electricity the building once featured a 26' x 16' skylight, which has since been removed (2021) due to the weight and effects on the then 100+ year old roof.
Added in 2016, Two community flyer boxes custom built by K&H Signs along with the original remodel of 2015.
2014: The building was purchased in 2014 by Robertson County Publishing, LP to house the Robertson County News. At that time the City of Hearne owned the dilapidating building and it had stood off the tax roll for many years. Prior to the purchase in 2014, the building was the Smith-Welch Memorial Library for many, many years.
2014 Continued: The purchase brought about the first round of renovations which included the front façade of the building being repainted as well as repaired from rust damage through the many years. Restoring the front included the stain glass feature to be cleaned, resealed and encased in UV plexiglass. The original stain glass is rumored around town to have a twin, though it has not been seen in years, the old timers love to tell the tale that the other glass is in a garage "somewhere" in town, "let me see what I can find out," has been the typical response.
2014 Continued: Other renovations that took place included two office spaces added to the lower floor, front of building. These are removable, though stable. The overall square footage is roughly 5,000 sq. ft. with 2,800 of that in the lower floor. The lower floor was split into two sections to create a front office and a back storage. In 2022, the back for a short time became a T-Shirt and Embroidery company.
2020: The building was sold and bought by Phillips Publishing, LLC from Moser Community Media to Dennis and Teresa Phillips. Dennis had been the publisher of the Robertson County News and purchased building and newspaper in December 2020. That winter was hard and COVID-19 played a significant role in Hearne business, however the newspaper and building came through the pandemic. In winter 2021, the weather would take a toll.
2021-2022: Tragedy struck the Phillips family as well as the building in the winter of 2021. Heavy hail, rain and snow crippled the roof of the building which at that time featured a 24' x 16' steel frame in the center of the roof that once held a skylight. The rain, hail and snow along with the weight of the steel grating caused major roof failure.
2022: With the help from the City of Hearne, a 3 year forgiveness loan was secured and a new roof along with the removal of the steel grating was installed. With a 15 Year warranty, the building was given new life. Other renovations included a cleaning and restoring of the interior of the building which took a major hit from the storm damage, but was quickly seen too and corrected.
2022-2023: With a payoff loan in hand, Dennis went quickly to complete more rennovations to include new wiring, plumbing and a/c work adding three mini-splits to the second floor and replacing the downstairs unit. Electricity boxes were constructed for the second floor and new lines ran throughout the building.
A full bathroom was installed including a walk-in shower. The historic staircase which was uncovered in the 2021 rennovation was leveled.
The ceiling of the building which had taken damage was replaced with aged barn tin and the new lighting features were installed (the new electrical line) for make ready of new fixtures. The water fountain in the pictures, well that is original from the library days and is plumbed and still working.
The back windows have all been replaced and new LED panels are also installed. You really just need to see this building to get a good sense of where it's at and what the possibilities are for this historic treasure.
Is it all done? No, it's not but it is real close and ready for the next owner to complete what was started. When sold the building will be emptied, but is available to be seen today.
Building Specs
Built in 1892 - Appraised Value - $449,000.00
Sq. Ft. 5,000+
3 Mini Splits upstairs (brand new) 2 Ton ea.
1 Central Unit 5 Ton 9 Recent install
200 Amp service - New panels both up and downstairs
New conduit wiring harnesses for the entire upstairs
New Bathroom with walk in shower and Washer/Dryer stack (included)
New exterior windows, back of building.
New ceiling install with vintage tin
New leveling upper floor and staircase
Too much here to list, full upgrade list on demand upon site visit.