{"nrhp_refnum":"01000433","name":"Tyler US Post Office and Courthouse","other_names":["Tyler Federal Building"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"211 W. Ferguson St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Tyler","county":"Smith County","state":"TX","lat":32.35129442900006,"lon":-95.30261997199995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2001-04-25","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Politics/Government","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 3-story (plus basement) limestone and brick federal post office and courthouse at 211 West Ferguson Street in Tyler, Smith County, Texas, built 1933-1934 in the Classical Revival style. It was designed by local architect Shirley Simons under Treasury Department supervision.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is significant under Criterion A for its link to federal construction projects meant to relieve unemployment during the 1930s Depression. It is also significant under Criterion C as an example of restrained Classical Revival architecture, widely used for federal buildings of the period. It also reflects the continued federal presence in Tyler.","narrative":"This three-story limestone and brick building at 211 West Ferguson Street in downtown Tyler was built in 1933 and 1934 to house the post office, the federal district court and other government tenants. Local architect Shirley Simons drew the plans under the supervision of Treasury Department Acting Supervising Architect James A. Wetmore, and Ralph Sollitt and Sons of Chicago was the contractor. Its Classical Revival design shows in a projecting entry pavilion, pilasters, pediments and carved friezes. Inside, the former postal lobby has pink marble walls, a marble staircase and a plaster ceiling, and the ceremonial courtroom keeps its red gum paneling and corbeled ceiling. It replaced an 1886 federal building, razed in 1933 as Tyler's population grew with railroads and oil. The building is notable for its tie to Depression-era federal construction meant to create jobs, and for its restrained classical architecture. The post office left in 1976 and an annex was added, but the courts still use the building.","period_of_significance":"1933-1950","architect_builder":"Simons, Shirley-Architect; Ralph Sollitt and Sons, Chicago, Illinois-Contractor; Wetmore, James A.-Acting Supervising Architect, U.S. Treasury Dept.","architectural_style":"Classical Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"No longer functions as a post office (moved in 1976) but continues to function as a federal district court and offices; retains a high degree of integrity despite a 1976 annex connection and interior alterations.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:23.375325-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/59/9733/40973359/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/01000433.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/01000433/7806316a91-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/01000433/7806316a91-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Renelibrary","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:TylerCourtHouse1.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Renelibrary</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:TylerCourtHouse1.JPG"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"100008283","name":"Tyler Downtown Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/texas/tyler-downtown-historic-district-100008283/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40973359","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_M._Steger_Federal_Building_and_United_States_Courthouse","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7860176"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/smith-county/tyler-us-post-office-and-courthouse-01000433/"}