Rice Building

Rice Building. Circa 1912. , Price Monroe Rice, son of Rufus P. Rice, one of the first pioneer children born in Hamilton County, built this building in 1912. He attended Law School at the University of Texas, and practiced law in Hamilton. P.M. Rice held various positions with both the County and City governments, including service as County Judge and Mayor. He contributed greatly to the physical development of the city. In the early 1920s as Mayor, he established City Lake as a reliable water supply, and facilitated the installation of four miles of water mains. After his election to the position of County Judge in 1925, P.M. Rice oversaw the designation and grading of the Hamilton segments of what are now U.S. Highway 281 and State Highway 36. The current courthouse was also constructed during his time as County Judge., The building was owned by Judge Rice until his death in 1962, and by his widow, Cornelia, until 1965, when it was sold to Luther McGlothlin. The building has had many uses. While the first floor was generally occupied by retail use, it is likely that the upstairs was maintained as professional offices. It is thought that Judge Rice used the upstairs for his law practice. Later, it became common for the upstairs to be used for storage. One of the first occupants was Little Dry Goods Company, as shown in the 1917 photograph below. In 2011, the building was purchased by Rountree Appliance, a family-owned home appliance and electronics store, based out of Clifton, Texas.