Federal Building (United States Courthouse)
Sherman, Grayson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
After the Sherman Division of the Federal District Court for the Eastern District of Texas was established in 1902, plans were made to construct this building to serve the court and the postal service. U. S. Treasury Department Supervising Architect John Knox Taylor designed this Spanish Colonial revival-beaux arts style building. Located in the commercial center in close proximity to the rail station, the structure was completed in early 1907 at a cost of $140,000. With its terra cotta roof tiles, faux balconies with wrought iron grillwork, lamp brackets at both entrances, and two eagles overlooking the main entry, it was an imposing edifice and a significant addition to Sherman's downtown environment. In addition to the federal court, the building has housed local offices of other federal agencies, including the Selective Service Administration, Internal Revenue Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation, General Services Administration, and the Departments of Agriculture, Labor and Defense. From 1907 to 1963, the U. S. Postal Service occupied the entire first floor. The original design of the building has remained essentially unchanged except for the first floor, which was remodeled when the post office moved in 1963. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1997
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
After the federal district court established a Sherman division in 1902, the U.S. Treasury's supervising architect John Knox Taylor designed this Spanish Colonial Revival–Beaux Arts landmark, completed in 1907 for $140,000. With terra cotta tiles, faux balconies, wrought-iron grillwork, and two stone eagles over the entrance, it commanded Sherman's downtown near the rail station. For decades it housed the courts, a first-floor post office, and a rotating cast of federal agencies.
Why it matters
The building embodies the growing reach of the federal government into everyday American towns at the dawn of the twentieth century, expressed in monumental civic architecture.
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Related people
- · John Knox Taylor
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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Grayson County grew from Holland Coffee's 1837 trading post at the Red River's Preston Bend into a hub of the Peters' Colony and, in 1846, a county named for Republic of Texas attorney general Peter W. Grayson. Its seat, Sherman, moved to its present site in 1848 and earned fame for so many courthouses and fine 19th-century schools that it was called the "Athens of Texas." The Butterfield Trail, cattle drives, and early railroads all crossed the county, and Lake Texoma later made it a tourist draw.
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