Bob Harris Station
Pasadena, Harris County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In 1893, portions of the Sam Allen Ranch developed into Pasadena. The city became an industrial center for the Houston Ship Channel during the Great Depression and World War II. In 1939, the Federal Works Agency built a new post office, later named Bob Harris Station, based on a design by Carl F. Guenther. Oyster shells were used to create the concrete mix for the building. The east entrance featured a loggia with six limestone columns, steel double entry doors and coach lamps. Inside, high ceilings and double hung windows allowed the building to self-ventilate through a well in the hip roof. The post office symbolized Pasadena's commercial growth during the 20th century, serving the city until 2010. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2019
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
As Pasadena grew into an industrial hub for the Houston Ship Channel during the Great Depression, the Federal Works Agency built a new post office here in 1939 to a design by Carl F. Guenther. Its concrete was mixed with local oyster shells, and its limestone-columned loggia, high ceilings, and roof ventilation well made it a self-cooling civic landmark that served the city until 2010.
Why it matters
The post office is a tangible symbol of Pasadena's 20th-century boom and of the New Deal-era federal building program that left durable civic architecture in growing American towns.
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Related people
- · Carl F. Guenther
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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