Combs-Worley Building
Pampa, Gray County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Designed by Amarillo architects W. R. Kaufman & Son, this structure was erected in 1931 to house the offices of the Combs-Worley ranching and oil interests and Pampa professions and businesses. Modern art deco architectural influences appear on the edifice in typical classical rhythm and form. Metal casement windows and storefront details further enhance the building's expression of the 1930s and the new wealth of the oil boom era. The Kaufman's other Pampa projects include the county courthouse (1929), city hall and central fire station (both 1930). All are part of Pampa's "million dollar row." Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1998
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Built in 1931 to house the Combs-Worley ranching and oil interests along with Pampa's professional offices, this building announced the Panhandle's new petroleum wealth in confident Art Deco lines. Metal casement windows and stylish storefronts marked it as thoroughly of its decade, the work of Amarillo architects W. R. Kaufman & Son. It stands among the grand structures of Pampa's "million dollar row."
Why it matters
The building is Art Deco made from oil money, a monument to the 1930s boom that transformed the ranching Panhandle into a landscape of derricks and sudden fortunes.
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