As described by the National Geodetic Survey in 1978:
"IN HOUSTON, AT THE CROSSING OF ATCHISON, TOPEKA AND SANTA FE RAILROAD AND THE GULF FREEWAY, 0.3 MILE SOUTHEAST OF UNION STATION, 171 FEET SOUTH OF THE SOUTH CURB OF PRAIRIE AVENUE, 108 FEET NORTH OF THE NORTH CURB OF TEXAS AVENUE, 21 FEET WEST OF THE EXTENDED CENTERLINE OF CHARTRES STREET AND 9 FEET SOUTHWEST OF THE SOUTH RAIL TO UNION STATION. SET VERTICAL IN THE NORTH FACE OF THE EAST ONE OF SEVEN PILLARS."
The 1978 description has become quite obsolete over time: the railroad and associated rails are no longer there, the mentioned freeway is not "Gulf Freeway" (it never was, that is a completely different freeway)... and there are now 8 pillars instead of 7. Luckily all references to the adjoining avenues/streets (and the mentioned distances) are still correct. A better general description would have been "on the most eastern cement pillar supporting US Hwy 59's outer-most northbound lane" along with the aforementioned distances to the references avenues/streets.
Luckily the most recent associated NGS Data Sheet's coordinates are pretty accurate and closely matched my own personal observations while on-site. As noted by many benchmark hunters before me, the disk in question has been painted over and is not easily noticed from afar... but it is still in relatively "good" condition despite the paint-over.
Below are some additional facts, per the NGS database (with some editing for length): (
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AW0209 ***********************************************************************
AW0209 DESIGNATION - H 1246
AW0209 PID - AW0209
AW0209 STATE/COUNTY- TX/HARRIS
AW0209 COUNTRY - US
AW0209 USGS QUAD - SETTEGAST (1995)
AW0209
AW0209 *CURRENT SURVEY CONTROL
AW0209 ______________________________________________________________________
AW0209* NAD 83(1986) POSITION- 29 45 18.4 (N) 095 21 13.6 (W) HD_HELD2
AW0209* NAVD 88 ORTHO HEIGHT - 14.527 (meters) 47.66 (feet) ADJUSTED
AW0209 ______________________________________________________________________
AW0209
AW0209_MARKER: DV = VERTICAL CONTROL DISK
AW0209_SETTING: 38 = SET IN THE ABUTMENT OR PIER OF A LARGE BRIDGE
AW0209_SP_SET: BRIDGE PIER
AW0209_STAMPING: H 1246 1978
AW0209_MARK LOGO: NGS
AW0209_STABILITY: A = MOST RELIABLE AND EXPECTED TO HOLD
AW0209+STABILITY: POSITION/ELEVATION WELL
AW0209_SATELLITE: THE SITE LOCATION WAS REPORTED AS SUITABLE FOR
AW0209+SATELLITE: SATELLITE OBSERVATIONS - July 05, 2005
AW0209
AW0209 HISTORY - Date Condition Report By
AW0209 HISTORY - 1978 MONUMENTED NGS
AW0209 HISTORY - 1986 GOOD NGS
AW0209 HISTORY - 1989 GOOD USPSQD
AW0209 HISTORY - 1989 GOOD USPSQD
AW0209 HISTORY - 1991 GOOD USPSQD
AW0209 HISTORY - 20050705 GOOD USPSQD