The Old Iron Post

This building, currently home to the Old Iron Post restaurant, was built in 1876 by Matthew Schneider and Brothers. The iron work, the entryway, the columns, and some of the glass windows are all original. In 2015, the owners of the Old Iron Post renovated the space to prepare for the opening of the restaurant. During this renovation, they uncovered all of the historical Victorian architecture. While you enjoy your delicious meal, take the time to learn more about this building's unique past.

               This Schneider building has a rich architectural history. The original architecture of the building was designed by Matthew Schneider & Brothers. The two-story building displayed a true Victorian structure with massive columns lining the walls and a grand entryway and beautiful iron work displaying the Schneider Brothers logo. Built in the midst of rapid growth in Sherman, the Schneider building became the crown jewel of the square.[1] The building was built in 1876, the same year that Austin College moved to Sherman, St. Mary’s School opened its doors, and Washington Iron Works, Sherman’s oldest industry to date, started business.[2]    

               According to an article from the Sherman Daily Democrat[3] in 1922, this building was first maintained and owned by Morris Schneider, one of the Schneider brothers who built the building. This two-story building was constructed after a fire wiped out several buildings in downtown Sherman in 1876. Through most of the late 1800s and early 1900s, the building was used as a dry-goods store, first by Schneider and then by George Murphy, the second owner of the store who added on a third story. In 1922, three Sherman natives – T. Bass, Will Taylor, and Gus Parrish – rented this building for their own department store. They purchased an adjoining building and connected the two to create a 10,000 square-foot space with plenty of room for new departments. This business served as key fashion store over the next several decades.

In the 1960s, the two top stories were removed due to structural concerns. The original architecture was then covered up in the 1970s to renovate the building for the new occupants – the Haring Office Equipment. The Haring Office Equipment Co. covered the walls with stucco, built new doorways, covered the floors with new ones, and repainted the space. Through this reconstruction, people forgot about the original architecture of the building and it lay hidden for the next 45 years.

               In 2015, the owners and investors of the Old Iron Post Restaurant started to remodel the place to make it into a homey eatery. As they started to tear down the stucco and peel back the flooring, they found the hidden gems of the original building. Sherry Little, one of the investors for the restaurant, was repeatedly surprised by the building during the construction. She said, “To have the opportunity to restore this building and utilize historic components, it’s been very exciting to do that and to bring it back to some former glory… We’re very excited at all that we have found here, because we didn’t have any idea that any of this existed.”[4] The secrets of the building “revealed themselves through countless vestiges of the grand Victorian structure the building… once was. Ornate support columns, original iron work, pristine stained glass windows and a baroque rear entrance on Houston Street were uncovered during the construction…”[5] These beautiful reminders of the past can still be seen throughout the restaurant today. The iron work across the front of the building is all original and the grand entryway to the restaurant is over 140 years old.

               As you enjoy your meal, look around at this beautiful structure that has stood in Sherman for so long. The stairway on the left wall once led to the upper stories, the original ceiling is stripped of its stucco facade and re-painted, the floors are renewed to their original glory, and the grand entryway displays this buildings historic charm. The architecture around you represents over a century of Sherman history. Enjoy this unique experience of eating around 140 years of history!