Plainview’s downtown is composed primarily of one- and two-story brick commercial blocks. In 1913, Plainview, like many Texan towns, adopted an ordinance requiring brick construction in its downtown area as a means of fire prevention. A notable characteristic of the downtown’s buildings is the quality and inventiveness of the ornamental brickwork. Streets in this area were paved with brick made in Thurber in 1917. The construction of many buildings in the late 1920s testifies to the vitality of Plainview’s economy on the eve of the Great Depression. All of Plainview’s banks failed in the early 1930s as the Dust Bowl exacerbated the collapse of the agricultural economy.
Several buildings represent the town’s early vibrancy. The former First National Bank (1909) at 601 Broadway is distinguished from its numerous counterparts by the light-courts at the second-floor office level on the building’s long side along W. 6th Street. Ornamental brickwork includes a stepped cornice, piers, and pilasters. The ground floor has been modified for retail space.
The four-story Skaggs Building (1928) at 703 Broadway, a reinforced concrete-framed office building, has a granite base, a first story faced in white terra-cotta, and upper walls of a tawny brick, with stone trim. It was designed by Amarillo-based Kerr and Walsh, as was the former Plainview Herald Building (now offices for Harvest Christian Fellowship) of 1925 at 801 Broadway. The institutional rather than commercial character of this office testifies to the rising cultural aspirations of Plainview in the 1920s. The one-story brick building is richly detailed with paired pilasters at the outer corners and pilasters framing the arched entrance. The recessed glazing between the pilasters gives the impression of an open pavilion.