Welcome.
Welcome to…Benediction on the Square, The Cowboy Corner, etc.
Our little corner of the Downton Leonard, TX Square has had many titles in its day. Hi, Matthew and Kevyn Harvey here. I, Matthew, grew up in Leonard and graduated High School here. Kevyn grew up in Mckinney and graduated from the ORIGINAL McKinney High School.
We married in 2016 on Matthew’s parents land in a “farmily” style wedding. Hay bale seats, food trucks, helicopter, English Phone Booth, photo ops like crazy, we realized we both enjoyed throwing a party!
That year we ended up moving back to Leonard/Celeste with intentions of building a home and finding a place for Matthew’s online Jeep accessory business, Kikbax Offroad. One night we were driving around the Leonard Square when we noticed a “For Sale,” sign in the window of Jim Bunch’s building on the SW side of the Square.
Side Story: When we were in High School the young uns would often congregate on the square at night. The Cowboys typically parked on what would become our empty lot on the corner. The corner was well known around town as “The Cowboy Corner”. If you know you know..
We called the number in the window and Jim picked up. Now, Jim is a character that deserves a blog write up of his own. Let’s just say the building we were looking to buy was jam packed full of antiques and knick knacks just shy of hoarding status. Organized chaos, if you will. There was a full 30 ft wooden saloon style cashier cage, a grandfather clock, 50’s toy cars, stuffed animals, banjos, the list goes on. When Matthew’s parents moved to Leonard in the early 90’s, Jim was one of the first residents they met when buying an old CocaCola vending machine from him. So we already had a rapport with the Bunch’s. Long story short we spent a lot of time shooting the breeze with Jim, bought the building and got to work.
A portion of the building was usable upon purchase. Usable meaning, not leaky. This is the part that Mathew will fill out with Kikbax’s warehousing and shipping needs. The Benediction on the Square part of the building, as it turned out, was a long way away from its rebirth.
We did not buy the building with any real direction in mind. The first priority was to make sure Kikbax would run smoothly. Next was to see how much extra space we were looking at and what in the world to do with it. In the meantime, demo begins.
The first thing we did was take advantage of the 4B Facade Grant to update our Square frontage. This involved removing a closed in wooden awning. Chock full of old 2 generations of 2x4s! I repurposed as many as I could! This exposed what used to be 6 large window openings. We put those windows back in and added a “brow” style metal awning. In addition, the whole perimeter of the building got a Red Brick paint job. Completely transforming the building and corner of the square.
The Benediction space takes up 53’ of Square frontage. Two 20’ wide sections and a 13’ wide section. All three sections are about 67’ deep. The land deed suggest a couple years for establishment: early 1900s and 1932. I suspect the two 20’ sections were built in the early 1900s and the corner 13’ wide section in 1932. The foundation and brick work lead me to believe these are probably accurate. We believe these sections were originally built with dirt floors and most likely updated with concrete foundations in the 50’s. This is just speculation.
Demo. Within the 53’x67’ were loads of rooms. Carpeted, tiled, bare, raised flooring. Drop ceiling, insulation, 5 generations of electrical and plumbing. Water damage, water damage, water damage. Luckily all of the load bearing wood was undamaged. As for the rest, it all came out. All the rooms, all the electrical, plumbing, tiles, carpet, windows, and the bead board. Oh man the bead board. I couldn’t throw it away. I couldn’t burn it. I couldn’t give it away. I also couldn’t sell it, lol. I salvaged two pallets of gorgeous green and brown bead board. Sixteen foot lengths. In the back of the 13’ section all of the bead board was charred from a fire said to have occurred in the 70’s. Demo included stripping all the walls of plaster, revealing the beautiful exposed brick that you see today. The plaster you see down low simply will not remove. Luckily, it adds an amazing touch of character to the 67’ wall. The entire floor was ground down, etched and stained the copper color you see today.
Industrial-Chic is what were were going for. That equals exposed rafters,16 chandeliers, concrete floors, sliding doors and unique fixtures. A brand new HVAC system heats and cools over 3,000 square feet across the three “original” lots. Farmhouse style cross back chairs complement the open rafters and exposed brick. The chandeliers contribute a certain elegance throughout. When fully lit the venue looks like a star in the sky, from outside. On the other hand, when dimmed, the interior is reminiscent of a fine steak house.
Speaking of stars. Step outside for a some fresh country air on our 1300 square foot patio. A brand new concrete pad offers picnic tables and full shade after 4:00pm or so. Our East exterior wall provides a great background for an artsy IG pic. Eight ten foot poles pair with eight whiskey barrels to hold up the LED cafe lighting around the perimeter of the patio. Bright white to dancing purple, we can set the vibe under the night sky too!
This building has been many things over its many decades. I cohost a hyper-local podcast out of our Bridal Suite (lol), called The Twelve O’clock Siren. One of our interviews is a 100 year local man, RC “T-Bone” Kuhn. He had some incredible stories about our building from when he was a kid. Most notable, he was hired to do concrete work in the walls, he claimed. For local entertainment and more tune in where ever you find podcasts!
We are so proud of how this building turned out and thrilled for the opportunity to hold events that create memories as well as run a business that adds value to our community. In the short time we have been officially open we have hosted multiple birthday parties, Santa photos, prom, banquets, Quinceanera, weddings, receptions and more. I’ve gotta admit, one of my new favorite smells…catering! We look forward to many more years of fun and blessings. Thank you for taking interest in our little building.
-Matthew and Kevyn Harvey
www.BenedictionOnTheSquare.com
@benedictionOTS