These Special Amarillo Buildings May Be Demolished, But Never Forgotten

Like I've often said, there's a price we must pay for progress. As Amarillo grows as a city and community, it's inevitable that certain places and buildings will fall to the ravages of time.

It's a unique kind of punch in the gut when we learn that a special place will be torn down. Sometimes, the argument for historical value and preservation is valid. Other times, the reality is that the value is in our sentiment, mostly.

Whatever the case, I can't help but reflect on all the beloved Amarillo buildings we've bid adieu to in the past decade (or two). I'm sure you'll recognize one or two of them.

Hastings

Starting off with a bang, the one and the only....Hastings.

And not just any Hastings, but the two-story Hastings that once sat on the corner of Georgia & Wolflin. Believe it or not, I can't find the exact year that it was torn down, but it was in the late 2000s.

The building was once a distinguished department store, Colbert's. In its incarnation as Hastings, the second story was where you could curl up in a chair and read to your heart's content. The downstairs was where you could pick out music, browse posters, or pick a DVD to rent out. Viva la Hastings!

2015 - Jackson Square Apartments

The Jackson Square Apartments, once known as the Palo Duro Apartments, were torn down in September 2015. The building had fallen into disrepair over the latter half of the century. Once an impressive place to live, the apartments were plagued by crime and purported hauntings by the time it was demolished.

2016 - Coca-Cola Building at 701 S. Lincoln

You may or may. not remember the old Coca-Cola plant downtown. If you can't quite place it, just think of Hodgetown. That's right, this was one of the structures on this block of Lincoln that was torn down in order to build the new baseball stadium.

I went onto Google Maps and this was about as good an angle as I could get of the old building facade. The plant was demolished in November 2016. Don't worry, Coca-Cola simply relocated.

2019 - AIG Building on 10th & Taylor

The long-standing AIG building in Downtown Amarillo was torn down in October 2019.

2022 - Old Wells Fargo Bank on Wolflin & Georgia

We all knew this one as the Wells Fargo, or "the green stone bank". The beautiful, mossy green stone and contemporary design of this building made it a familiar landmark of sorts in Wolflin Village. This one, I was truly sad to see go.

Demolition of the old Wells Fargo bank was done in February 2022. A Take 5 oil change business sits in its place.

2023 - Old Courthouse

In February this year, the old Texas Highway Department building was torn down to little fanfare. It wasn't until halfway into demolition that folks caught wind of the tear down and raised a fuss.

The building was constructed in 1896 and was one of the several original Potter county courthouses. But despite the historical value, the reality was that the structure was old and outdated. Simply put, it just wasn't worth the money it would take to update it.

What will go in its place next? That, I don't know.

2023 - Dilla Villa

And last, but certainly not least--our dearly beloved Dilla Villa.

So many concerts, so many baseball games. Any Amarillo native over the age of 25 most likely has at least one good memory of this place.

For many of us, Dilla Villa was the heartbreaking goodbye we knew we needed to make eventually. But oh man, the memories.