Old Weather Bureau Building
Abilene, Taylor County, Texas
Marker Inscription
This structure was completed for the Abilene Office of the United States Weather Bureau in 1909. The interior contained living quarters and an observatory for the administrator. The first official in charge here was W. H. Green, who served until 1944. Area weather services were later moved to the airport and the building was used for storage and for business school classes. The exterior features detailing of several architectural styles. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1980
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Completed in 1909, this building housed Abilene's office of the United States Weather Bureau, complete with living quarters and a rooftop observatory for the official in charge. W. H. Green ran the station for its first thirty-five years, tracking the weather of the West Texas plains before forecasting moved to the airport. Its facade blends detailing from several architectural styles.
Why it matters
It marks the early-twentieth-century rise of systematic, government-run weather observation, a quiet scientific service that made farming, ranching, and travel across a vast country safer and more predictable.
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Related people
- ยท W. H. Green
Themes & tags
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