KILLEEN, Texas — Downtown Killeen received statewide recognition earlier this week.

The City of Killeen and Southern Roots Brewing Company were formally honored with the Texas Downtown 2025 President's Award for Best Economic Game Changer on Tuesday, Nov. 4, during Texas Downtown's annual conference in Waco, the city announced Thursday.

The award recognizes the transformation of the former Hack’s Army Western Wear building in Downtown Killeen, measured by innovation, community partnership and community impact.

Hack's Army Western Wear building sat in the center of downtown Killeen, and first opened in the 1940s, supporting a post-World War II population and symbolizing the city's early prosperity. Due to long-term structural damage and neglect years later, the building was forced to clo

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