Narrative Description (NRHP nomination)

"The building lies within the central business district of Lubbock, Texas on a site that was once the southeast corner of the original “Courthouse Square”. It remains in close proximity to the Lubbock County Jail (1931), as well as the more recent Federal Building (1968) that replaced it.

Essentially rectangular in plan, the 3-story building faces south onto Broadway Avenue, the main thoroughfare. The slightly projecting portico and light wells on the second and third levels of the north elevation provide the only breaks in the rectangular form.

"Symmetrical in design, the Federal Building’s tripartite (south) façade consists of a central pedimented portico flanked by hipped roof extensions on each side. The composition also divides horizontally into three sections, with the lower level faced with limestone and the upper levels sheathed in a blend of buff brick. Red and orange mission clay tiles clad the hipped roof.

"The central portico dominates the façade of the building. Leading up to the main entrance is a wide stairway of gray granite steps flanked by projecting stone plinths. Iron lamp standards top each plinth. Three recessed vertical bays characterize the portico, with the first level containing three arched entrances. Within each archway, pairs of bronze and glass doors provide access to the interior. Rectangular glazed panels with decorative lead tracery are capped by arched transoms to complete the entry composition.

Second and third levels feature a recessed window in each bay. Colossal order Ionic columns vertically divide the windows. A bronze flagpole holder mounted on the ledge below the columns appeared on construction documents, but has evidently been removed.

Bronze bas-relief sculptures mounted on white marble panels fill the spandrels between the second and third floor windows.

A dolphin,

an eagle

and compass

represent the transportation of mail via the oceans, the air and the earth. A limestone pediment decorated with a single carved stone eagle surmounts this composition.

“The exterior walls feature veneers of ashlar-cut limestone blocks on the basement and first floor levels. Deep light wells extend down to the basement level on either side of the entrance steps, with double hung steel windows lighting this level.

Windows on the first floor consist of tripartite casement sashes surmounted by arched transoms. A stone stringcourse provides the transition between the first and second levels. Stylized shields centered in each bay ornament this band.

“Blended buff brick faces the second and third floors, with white rectangular marble panels serving as spandrels between the second and third story windows. Lining up vertically with the first floor fenestration, these rectangular windows feature similar materials and configurations. Another limestone stringcourse skimming the tops of the third story windows, a brick band studded with rectangular stone panels carved in a floral pattern, and broad stone eaves visually comprise the cornice of this classical composition.

“The 6-bay secondary (east & west) elevations feature identical detailing. At the south end of the east elevation, a pair of wrought iron sconces flanks an arched auxiliary entrance.
A small rectangular penthouse surmounts the building above the east elevation. The north elevation features only five banks of windows and a pair of exterior stairs at either end. Leading down to the basement, these stairwells historically flanked a 5-bay loading dock. Additions to the jail in the 1980s and renovations on the Federal Building obscured or eliminated four of these entrances.

“Interior spatial configurations and detailing survive relatively intact, although often beneath a layer of recent modifications such as suspended ceilings and temporary relocation of walls. The interior plan of the main floor has suffered the highest level of reconfiguration, with the removal of many original walls. Apart from the installation of suspended ceilings in corridors, the original configurations of the second and third floor spaces survive. Original finishes such as exposed concrete floors, wall bases, painted plaster walls and ceilings, wood doors and wood trim survive in scattered locations throughout the building.

“Perhaps the most intact space is the Federal Courtroom on the third floor. Marble surrounds and simple classical pediments frame two pairs of raised doors with brass knobs and plates that provide access to this space. A paneled wainscot of stained white oak encircles the room at a height of nine feet, six inches.

The ceiling features a tri-colored (blue, green, peach) stenciled floral pattern divided into eight rectangular panels. Currently this space is used as a court room for the county’s Court Master. (Jan.1995)

“Serving as the center of federal activities in Lubbock until construction of the current federal building in 1968, this building is presently owned by Lubbock County. While the first and second floors house several county departments, the courtroom is currently used for hearings on family law matters.(Jan.1995) The building remains a prominent fixture in the downtown area, retaining a significant degree of historic integrity of design, materials and workmanship, as well as location, setting, feeling and association.”

“An imposing classical public building, the Lubbock Post Office and Federal Building provides visual testament to the significant role played by the federal government in establishing the community as the focal point of Texas’ South Plains region. As this period coincided with an era of unprecedented growth and construction in Lubbock and the surrounding region, the building symbolically represented Washington’s recognition of the community’s status as the hub of the South Plains region. Deviations from standard designs of the era reflect political efforts by Lubbock’s citizens to ensure that local building traditions would be incorporated into an other wise bureaucratic design process. The building is significant on the local level under Criterion A in the area of Politics/Government as the visual reminder of this relationship between local civic leaders and federal officials. As the earliest surviving representative of the federal presence in the city, the building gives testament to the increasingly important role of the federal government in the life of the community in the early 1930’s. Perceived as a modern adaptation of Italian Renaissance architectural forms at the time of its construction, the prominent building is a significant example of classicism popular for public architecture in the 1920s and early 1930s. The building is therefore eligible on the local level under Criterion C in the area of Architecture as the best surviving example of this type of architecture.”

Footnote: The last occupants vacated the building about 2001.

South Plains History - (NRHP nomination)

“Prior to 1890 and the establishment of the community of Lubbock, much of the South Plains region lay on the fringes of the United States Postal Service’s range of operation. The flat grasslands that characterized the region were sparsely populated by Anglo Americans. The operator of a store in Yellowhouse Canyon, E.R. DeQuazy served as the first official postmaster in the vicinity of the present community, receiving his appointment on 31 March 1884 (Levacy, 1992). George Singer operated another trading post in the same canyon. When DeQuazy closed his operation in mid-summer of 1884, Singer assumed the role of postmaster. Singer’s store thereafter functioned as the social center for the area. In August 1890 two towns were established near Singer’s store – Lubbock on the north side of Yellowhouse Canyon and Monterey on the south side. The position of postmaster subsequently shifted to Lubbock, where Frank E. Wheelock assumed the duties of postmaster in November 1890 (Levacy, 1992)”

“In late 1890 local citizens joined forces to establish a central town for the area to avoid a fight over the designation of the county seat. They selected a neutral site near the two older communities, keeping the Lubbock name to facilitate postal service. They quickly migrated to the new town site, moving buildings in their entirety from Monterey and the original Lubbock site (Graves, 78). Wheelock brought the mail service with him to the new community, operating out of his land office on South First Street, now the 900 block of Broadway (Perkins, 46). This location placed the post office facing north onto the town’s courthouse square.”

“The introduction of rail service by the Santa Fe Railroad in 1909 clearly established Lubbock as the postal distribution center for the South Plains. As a result, the Post Office moved into a dedicated facility in a small frame building at the northwest corner of Cedar Ave. and North First Street, now Texas Ave and Main Street (Graves, 14). Rail service also facilitated the replacement of less fire-resistant buildings in the city with masonry buildings. The railroad’s lower freight costs increased access to building materials such as brick and stone lacking in the sandy South Plains region. In response, citizens began campaigning for a new and more permanent postal facility, resulting in the allocation of $60,000 in federal money for a new postal facility in February 1919 (Lubbock AJ 20 Feb 1919). The new building just past South First Street (now Broadway) on Cedar Ave (now Texas Ave) opened in November 1919.”

“During the 1920s, Lubbock’s heavy population growth greatly affected the city’s postal system. Recognizing the need for a new facility, Chamber of Commerce officials began writing to postal authorities as early as 1923 (Chamber of Commerce records, 1923). These efforts marked the beginning of the endeavor to build a new Lubbock Post Office. Local leaders regularly corresponded with officials in Washington during this period, increasing their efforts following the designation of Lubbock as the site of the Texas Technological College in 1925. Natural forces escalated the campaign when heavy rains collapsed the roof of the existing post office on 30 May 1926 for the second time in nine months. Postmaster John L. Vaughn appealed to public and private organizations to lobby government officials for a new and well-built federal building (Lubbock Journal, 30 May 1926).”