Conroe, TX: Gentry's Men's Clothing Store
Address: 236 N Main St, Conroe, TX 77301
Opened: 1911
Status: Open, now Fass Conroe Brewery
Elvis Date: August 1955
I Visited On: July 15, 2023
Relevance: Elvis bought a few sports shirts here, while in town with the Louisiana Hayride
My experience
Close to two other Elvis spots in Conroe’s historic downtown, this building is really easy to find. The building that was formerly Gentry Men’s Clothing Store, is now Fass Brewing, and I couldn’t go inside because of an ongoing tour.
History of the building
Like most other buildings in Conroe’s historic downtown, the Gentry building was built with red brick after the 1911 fire that destroyed a total of 65 buildings in the area. It was the first building to be built after the disaster.
In its lifetime, the building has been many different things, including: Carnes Mercantile Store, a meat market, a restaurant, Farmers & Merchants Bank, lawyers offices, the Rosner Clothing Store, a barber shop, a saloon, insurance offices, and in 1929, the building was purchased by Thomas Earl Gentry and it became the Gentry Men’s Clothing Store. It was still Gentry’s when Elvis Presley stopped by in August 1955 and bought a few sports shirts while in town with the Louisiana Hayride.
In the early 2000s, the exterior and interior of the Gentry building got a facelift. In the 1940s, the exterior of the building was covered with a layer of plastic designed to give the appearance of limestone–something very popular at the time–but this was removed in the remodel by architect Richard Willis and his crew. The building’s exterior was returned to its 1911 red brick finish.
The interior of the building was reworked by Corky McWilliams of J & B Construction. The tin ceiling was repaired and sometimes replaced with a custom tin pattern to match the original and the ceiling was also reinforced to more safely hold the four offices and conference room on the second floor. The flooring, similar to the tin ceiling, was restored and replaced with custom matching tiles as needed.
The building now belongs to Fass Brewing.
Photo credit:
Exterior images by me
Interior images from Fass Brewing Co.
Sources:
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