A Walking Tour

City Library

So earlier this week, I decided to drive over to Hillsboro to get a first-hand look at the community as a whole.  When I arrived on the town square, the first building that I noticed was the county courthouse. It’s hard to miss, plus it’s included in/on every piece of marketing literature regarding Hillsboro or Hill County Texas.  After driving around for a few minutes I realized that the city is not doing itself any favors by just showing images of the courthouse, and not displaying some of the other buildings on the square.  There are some great buildings in downtown Hillsboro that would be great for marketing the image of the city.

City Hall

One of the first buildings that immediately caught my attention was City Hall, which was originally a fire station, the police station, and the home of a resident ghost name Harvey.  The building has been completely renovated and it seemed to be one of the coolest structures in downtown.  Another was the city library, which was a converted post office that seemed to have character that you don’t find in new construction in 2012.  A number of the buildings on the town square have been renovated, but they lack proper signage or the landscaping needs upgrading to enhance the curb appeal. I also noticed that many of the buildings that had been renovated were now retail shops at street level and apartments or offices on top.  I stopped in some of the local shops to talk with some of the residents and business owners, and I realized that the square was once a vibrant town center until a major manufacturer located north of downtown closed.  “When it left, so did many of the visitors to the square”.  After walking around for a few hours and taking photographs, I realized that downtown Hillsboro has the potential to be something really special.