Bought in 2014, Magnolia’s Waco site grew from to 5.3 acres, adding shops, a ball field and church

Two huge, 120-foot-tall, rust-coloured grain silos dominate the skyline of central Waco, Texas. They serve as a landmark for millions of visitors every year. 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. 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.Expanding the downtown footprintWhen Chip and Joanna Gaines first bought the property in 2014, its main attraction was a 12,000-square-foot former grain barn. 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. According to official planning details published on the company's website, Magnolia began a major expansion of the grounds in 2020. The project doubled the site from its original 2.6 acres to about 5.3 acres. The company added nearby lots to mak...