History was made Thursday morning in downtown Wichita Falls.

A historical marker in front of the Zales building on 8th and Ohio was unveiled and recent renovations to the building were displayed.

“It’s very gratifying that the citizens are recognizing the legacy that they had,” Donald Zale, son of Morris B. Zale said.

In 1924, Morris and his wife Edna created the Zale Jewelry Company and from there the company has grown to 1,700 retail stores. While it’s original location was left when expansions of the company took place, the history remained a part of the infrastructure.

“We wanted the historical preservation of the building and of who had been here and what had taken on. This was a very historical point, a center of downtown,” Cynthia Laney, executive director of Downtown Wichita Falls Development said.

Now four possible stores are vacant and ready for new tenants to move in. Officials with Downtown Wichita Falls Development said many people have shown interest in the space and discussions on how things will progress are in the works.

“We are in the process of marketing the building. We want to see stores. We want to see some sort of retail, whether it’s a restaurant or whether it’s dry goods. We want to see retail because that’s what brings people down here,” Laney said.

– Newschannel 6