Lackey-Hord Restoration

In early 2021 we were hired to spruce up the interior of a historic downtown Alpine building. The beginning objective of the reno was small, but it quickly broadened as we began to uncover several historical elements of the building such as the pressed tin ceilings, cast-iron columns, and hardwood floors.

As with any historic renovation, we started the job by digging around at the archives of the Big Bend to source photographs. The building, known as the Lackey-Hord building for the original owner Mr. Herschel L. Lackey and his nephew Herschel L. Hord was built in 1911. Over the years it has housed many retail enterprises including the Palace Drug Store, Buck ‘N Shoot Western Wear and Watson Jewelers.

Our main objective for the renovation is to protect the historical integrity of the structure while also keeping the building from falling into disrepair. This beginning phase of the rehab focused mainly on the first floor commercial space and the exterior. Restoration of the second floor is set to take place in a few years.

We had hoped to strip back the painted exterior walls to the original brick; however the damage to the masonry and mortar made this cost-prohibitive. Instead, we chose to mortar patch and paint the exterior based upon the building's historical appearance. Features such as the dentil molding, window sills and exterior window cornice are painted a contrasting cream.

We recessed the front entry door and flanked it with display windows as was typical of an early 20th century storefront. A custom tile entry floor was created by local artist Amanda Calhoun. We also replaced much of the exterior glass and reopened the formerly covered up transom windows.

The final element to this phase of renovation is the addition of a steel awning clad in sheetmetal and pressed tin.