Texas Textile Mills-L.L. Sams Company Historic District

Eight industrial buildings on the east side of Waco, beside the Baylor University campus, make up this district. They were built between 1919 and 1957 and are plain, utilitarian structures of brick, concrete, clay tile and metal, with large steel sash windows, loading docks and a tall brick smokestack. Brothers Clarence, Byron and E. Burnie Miller began the Texas Textile Mills here in 1919, and a neighboring twine mill was added by the late 1920s. Later the L.L. Sams and Sons Church Furniture Company used the site, growing into the largest church furniture maker in the country. The complex is considered important as one of the last reminders of the cotton processing industry that once drove the economy of Waco and McLennan County. Two rooftop company signs remain local landmarks. After industrial use ended in 1997, the buildings were rehabilitated between 2000 and 2002 as loft apartments and offices, keeping many original industrial features.