Two huge, 120-foot-tall, rust-coloured grain silos dominate the skyline of central Waco, Texas.
asserted
silos → dominate → Waco
They serve as a landmark for millions of visitors every year.
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They → serve → visitors
In 2014, television personalities Chip and Joanna Gaines bought a 2.6-acre former cottonseed mill on the site.
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Gaines → buy → site
Twelve years later, their flagship Magnolia property has grown to about 5.3 acres.
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property → grow → acres
It now covers almost an entire city block and includes retail shops, a bakery, a coffee shop, a Wiffle ball field, and a restored 19th-century church.
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It → cover → shops
What started as one retail building alongside two unused industrial structures has grown into a major tourist destination for the city.
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started → start → city
Expanding the downtown footprint
When Chip and Joanna Gaines first bought the property in 2014, its main attraction was a 12,000-square-foot former grain barn.
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attraction → expand → 2014
It became the original Magnolia Market retail store.
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It → become → ?
The couple wanted to turn the neglected industrial site into a shared space where families could gather.
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families → want → space
According to official planning details published on the company's website, Magnolia began a major expansion of the grounds in 2020.
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Magnolia → accord → 2020
The project doubled the site from its original 2.6 acres to about 5.3 acres.
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project → double → acres
The company added nearby lots to make room for more shops, dining options, and green spaces.
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company → add → shops
The expansion turned the property from a simple home decor store into a larger, walkable campus where visitors can explore different attractions.
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visitors → turn → attractions
Restoring a piece of Waco history
One of the main additions to the expanded grounds is the Old Church, a historic wooden building originally built in 1894.
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One → restore → 1894
According to historical notes released by Magnolia, the church had fallen into poor condition at its original location elsewhere in Waco before it was moved to the Silos property.
uncertain
it → accord → property
Workers moved the entire wooden church to the corner of 8th Street.
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Workers → move → Street
They spent several years restoring it while preserving its original stained-glass windows, heart pine flooring, and exposed wooden frame.
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They → spend → windows
The restored building now stands near the main public entrance as a quiet reminder of local history.
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building → restore → history
Visitors can sit inside and look out over the surrounding grounds.
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Visitors → sit → grounds
Six special boutique shops line the walkways leading to the Old Church.
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shops → line → Church
Designed as small, separate cottages, the shops sell a range of carefully chosen products.
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shops → design → products
These include men's clothing, paper goods, retro-style indoor plants, and handmade jewellery.
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These → include → clothing
Rebuilding a legendary ballpark
Beyond the shops, the expanded grounds also celebrate local sports history with the addition of Katy Ballpark.
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grounds → rebuild → Ballpark
Historical property records cited in Magnolia's archive show that the land directly behind the original cottonseed mill was once home to Katy Park, a well-known local baseball stadium that opened in 1905.
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that → cite → 1905
Over the years, famous professional baseball players, including Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, played exhibition games there.
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players → include → games
To honour that history, Chip and Joanna Gaines built a smaller Wiffle ball field on the exact site of the historic ballpark.
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Chip → honour → ballpark
Katy Ballpark has artificial turf, a traditional wooden outfield fence, a scoreboard, and a concession stand.
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Ballpark → have → turf
The stand sells takeaway food, soft pretzels, and ice cream.
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stand → sell → food
"Our vision for the Silos has always been to offer a place where people could gather and spend time together," Joanna Gaines wrote in a statement on the company blog when the expansion was announced.
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expansion → offer → blog
"It's really an honour every time someone chooses to walk through those gates, and it's important to Chip and me that the experiences we create across the grounds are unique and meaningful, and offer something for everyone."
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we → choose → everyone
Along with the ballpark and retail cottages, the property has several different places to eat and drink.
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property → have → places
Magnolia Press is a full-service coffee shop inside a restored brick warehouse.
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Press → restore → warehouse
It has an outdoor courtyard with a wood-burning fireplace and seating.
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It → have → fireplace
Nearby, Silos Baking Co. operates from a converted historic building along the edge of the property.
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Co. → operate → property
It makes baked goods for thousands of visitors each day.
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It → make → visitors
The central lawn includes a dedicated area for local food trucks, with shaded wooden picnic tables where visitors can eat outdoors.
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visitors → include → tables
The two 120-foot-tall steel-and-concrete grain silos remain empty and closed to the public for safety reasons.
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silos → remain → reasons
Even so, they continue to serve as the property's main architectural landmark.
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they → continue → landmark
Twelve years after the original purchase, the expanded 5.3-acre site remains a major centre for tourism and economic activity in downtown Waco.
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site → expand → Waco
The Aporia
