Merritt Building - Henderson Commercial Historic District - Henderson, TX - NRHP Historic Districts - Contributing Buildings on Waymarking.com

One of the first lots occupied after the town of Henderson was founded in 1848, this site has been a cornerstone in the city's downtown development. Jesse F. Merritt bought the lot in 1883 and had this brick building constructed for his Sunny South Saloon. Built by local brickmasons Dave and Logan Howard, it has been home to several enterprises over the years, including saloons, offices, and a local social club. It was the location for Cameron's Drug Store for fifty years. The Merritt Building remains important to Henderson's downtown area.

The National Register's Continuation Sheet for the district (see Optional link, below) elaborates, describing the building as "... another example of a Two Part Commercial Block building that dates from the late 19th century; however, its rehabilitation in the late 1980s helped spur the city's current downtown revitalization efforts. Jesse F. Merritt constructed the building with brick fired at his kiln. A liquor wholesaler, he operated a saloon in the building. He later sold and repurchased the property only to lose it finally in 1890. James Cameron leased the building around 1900 and established the Cameron Drug Store, which operated at the location for nearly 50 years. Various professionals maintained offices upstairs. Since its original construction, the building has been altered, especially on the first floor. However, the kinds of changes and the impact these modifications have had to the building's character are representative of other Two Part Commercial Block properties in the district, such as those shown on Map Nos. 9 and 99. Ground level alterations, including the canopy, windows, doors, and brick, are incompatible with the building's historic appearance. Old photographs of the building clearly show that the first floor had cast iron columns and fixed light transoms within rectangular openings. Removal of the stucco uncovered some of the building's more important exterior features, such as the brick piers that define vertical divisions on the front and side elevations. The work also left exposed badly deteriorated brick on the exterior, which was subsequently painted. Despite these alterations, the building retains its basic form and still conveys a sense of the past, especially on the second floor. Although it adds only minimally to the historic character of the district, the building is classified as Contributing." The canopy has since been sent on its way.