(Former) Lubbock Post Office and Federal Building - Lubbock, TX
Posted by: 
WalksfarTX
N 33° 35.080 W 101° 50.616
14S E 236086 N 3719729
Constructed between 1931 and 1932, the 3-story Lubbock Post Office and Federal Building grafts the symmetry and detailing typical of the late Classical Revival style onto a rectangular plan. This building is being converted into loft apartments.
Waymark Code: WM119E5
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 09/11/2019
Views: 0
NRHP Nomination Form"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.
The building provides the focal point of an enclave of public buildings along Broadway, one of the main thoroughfares in the community's central business district. Limestone sheathing on the arcaded ground floor contrasts with buff brick upper floors in a visual allusion to an Italian Renaissance palazzo. Completing the classical references, a pedimented entry bay with colossal order columns dominates the composition of the primary facade.
Symmetrical in design, the Federal Building's tripartite (south) facade 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 facade 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. The 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, 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."