Brenham Downtown Historic District (Texas)
Posted by: 
Raven
N 30° 09.996 W 096° 23.912
14R E 750528 N 3340105
The downtown historic district of Brenham, Washington County, Texas (USA) is listed in the US National Register of Historic Places: its 100+ buildings represent a slice of relatively untouched Texas commercial architecture during the 1870-1939 era.
Waymark Code: WMNMAV
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 04/02/2015
Views: 8
"Brenham is located near the center of Washington County in Southeast Central Texas. As county seat, it serves as the nucleus of the major market and transportation activities of this largely agricultural county. Brenham also is located approximately half way between Austin (74 miles west) and Houston (72 miles southeast), in one of the more highly developed and populous portions of the state.
The properties located within the Brenham Downtown Historic District comprise the core of Brenham's historic commercial quarter and industrial sector. These buildings taken together represent significant aspects of the economic, physical and architectural development of Brenham. With Brenham's designation as the seat of Washington County in 1844, the county court house square became the focal point of the developing town. Although the Washington County Courthouse (NRHP 1990) is no longer the physical center of the commercial district, it remains the visual anchor of downtown Brenham. Most properties within the Brenham Downtown Historic District are one and two-part commercial block buildings constructed of Brenham brick, and clad with a layer of stucco (often scored to mimic stone). Other building types within the district include a central block with wings (the United States Post Office and Federal Building, NRHP 1990), two railway depots, and two early 20th-century gas stations. Architectural styles represent those most common in commercial construction during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including Classical Revival, Italianate, Commercial and Art Deco (of which the court house is the sole representative). While the earliest extant buildings date to 1856 (Zeiss Building) and 1858 (Bode & Tonn Building) the majority of the properties within the district were constructed between 1870 and 1939. Construction, alterations, and modernization continued throughout the period of significance, and reflect the changing needs (both physically and aesthetically) of commercial establishments. Alterations are typical of those made to many commercial properties in the middle decades of the 20th century and reflect the town?s continued prosperity, as well as Brenham?s recognition of national architectural trends. Despite alterations, contributing properties retain the character defining elements that convey a visual sense of the historic environment.
The nominated district is composed of approximately 24 full blocks and portions of 9 others. These blocks, although varied in size, are laid out in a grid pattern, with the majority of buildings oriented toward the East-West axes (Main, Alamo and Commerce Streets). The district is roughly bounded on the north by Vulcan, on the east by Market (though several contributing resources lie to the east of Market), on the south by West First and Basset Streets, and on the west by Austin Street. The former Houston and Texas Central (H&TC) Railroad (which later became the Texas and New Orleans, a subsidiary of the Southern Pacific) provides a visual boundary on the south between the commercial and industrial portions of the district. The Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe (GC&SF) Railroad provides a similar visual terminus to west side of the district.
There are 156 resources within the district, of which 105 (67%) are contributing (5 of these were previously listed on the National Register) and 51 are non-contributing. The contributing resources retain integrity of design, materials, workmanship, location and association."
Source:
Texas Historical Commission's Atlas.