Two huge, 120-foot-tall, rust-coloured grain silos dominate the skyline of central Waco, Texas. In 2014, television personalities Chip and Joanna Gaines bought a 2.6-acre former cottonseed mill on the site. Twelve years later, their flagship Magnolia property has grown to about 5.3 acres.
They serve as a landmark for millions of visitors every year. 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. What started as one retail building alongside two unused industrial structures has grown into a major tourist destination for the city.
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.
“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. “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.” Beyond the shops, the expanded grounds also celebrate local sports history with the addition of Katy Ballpark. Over the years, famous professional baseball players, including Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, played exhibition games there. To honour that history, Chip and Joanna Gaines built a smaller Wiffle ball field on the exact site of the historic ballpark. Katy Ballpark has artificial turf, a traditional wooden outfield fence, a scoreboard, and a concession stand. The stand sells takeaway food, soft pretzels, and ice cream.
When Chip and Joanna Gaines first bought the property in 2014, its main attraction was a 12,000-square-foot former grain barn. Magnolia began a major expansion of the grounds in 2020, according to official planning details published on the company’s website. The project doubled the site from its original 2.6 acres to about 5.3 acres.
It became the original Magnolia Market retail store. The couple wanted to turn the neglected industrial site into a shared space where families could gather. The company added nearby lots to make room for more shops, dining options, and green spaces.