Abilene Commercial Historic District

Downtown Abilene's commercial core includes a seven-block district of mostly two- and three-story masonry storefronts, with a few taller hotel and office buildings, set beside the Texas and Pacific Railroad tracks. The railroad divided the business area into northern and southern halves and drove the city's growth as a wholesale and distribution center for West Texas. Notable buildings include the 1909 Grace Hotel, the 1927 eight-story Mims Building, and the ten-story Art Deco Wooten Hotel of 1930, several of them designed by David S. Castle and Company. Terra cotta details, classical cornices and Art Deco ornament appear throughout. Twenty-six properties contribute to the district's character, while fifteen do not, either because they are recent or because historic facades were covered or altered. Some of these could be reclassified after sensitive restoration. The district was recognized for its links to the railroad and commerce between 1890 and 1939 and for its architecture.