Historical Marker
Meckel-Hanus Building
Marker installed: 1986
Saddle and harness merchant Henry Meckel (1855-1909) acquired this property in 1886 and soon made improvements to a one-story, ca. 1860 stone house already on the lot. A second level of concrete blocks and a double gallery of milled wood were added to the central-hall structure. Dr. J. J. Hanus (1898-1966) bought the building for a hospital in 1927 and altered the facade to its present appearance by 1929. The building served as a Catholic convent from 1949 through 1979.
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1986
Incise on base: Restored 1985 by Joe, Pat, and Eric Vance.
The first oil well in the United States was drilled in Texas in 1859. The discovery of oil transformed the economy of the state and helped to make Texas one of the wealthiest states in the nation.