Nacogdoches Federal Building / Post Office
Nacogdoches, Nacogdoches County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Designed by U. S. Treasury Department architect James A. Wetmore, this building was erected in 1917-1918 and housed the main city post office until 1964. Sold to the city in 1973, it was the public library until 1997, when it became a tourist information center. Its central location on a prominent site in the center of the town square is somewhat unusual for buildings of this type. A good example of a simplified beaux arts / classical revival post office, the structure features brick construction, a symmetrical facade with central entry bay, classical Palladian-type windows, simplified cast stone base and entablature. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1999
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Raised in 1917–1918 to a design from the office of federal architect James A. Wetmore, this brick post office set a note of classical dignity at the center of the Nacogdoches town square. Its Palladian windows and cast-stone trim mark it as a restrained example of the beaux arts style the U.S. Treasury favored for public buildings of the era. It carried the town's mail until 1964, then served in turn as public library and, later, a visitor center.
Why it matters
Early-20th-century federal post offices brought a shared architectural language of civic permanence to towns across America, tying local main streets to the national government.
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Related people
- · James A. Wetmore
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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