{"nrhp_refnum":"10000050","name":"Dow, Alden B., Office and Lake Jackson City Hall","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"101 S. Parking Pl.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Lake Jackson","county":"Brazoria County","state":"TX","lat":29.041552977000038,"lon":-95.44920026099999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2010-03-01","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Community Planning and Development"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A single-story, wood-frame building at 101 South Parking Place in downtown Lake Jackson, Brazoria County, Texas, built in 1943 and designed by Alden B. Dow. It housed Dow's local architectural office, the first Lake Jackson City Hall, a post office and other businesses.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is the building in Lake Jackson that most strongly represents the town's origins as a company town planned by Alden B. Dow for the Dow Chemical Company. It is listed locally under Criterion A for Community Planning and Development and Criterion B for its association with modernist architect Alden B. Dow. It is described as the most significant structure in Texas tied to Dow's career, despite losing much of its original footprint.","narrative":"Built in 1943 in downtown Lake Jackson, Texas, this one-story wood-frame building served as the local office of architect Alden B. Dow, the first city hall, a post office and several small businesses. Dow planned Lake Jackson's streets and designed its first buildings for his family's company, Dow Chemical. The building shows his preference for a linear plan and deep overhanging eaves, with a distinctive pentagon-shaped office at the north end, a red clay-tile chimney and a peaked three-part window that became the city's first graphic symbol. Originally nine bays long, it was cut to three after the owner of the southern parcel demolished that portion. The Lake Jackson Historical Association restored the remainder beginning in 2007, using Dow's drawings, and operates it as a museum. It is listed for its role in the town's planning and its link to Dow's career, with a period of significance of 1943 to 1959.","period_of_significance":"1943-1959","architect_builder":"Alden B. Dow","architectural_style":"Modern movement","criteria":["A","B"],"status_note":"Restored from 2007 by the Lake Jackson Historical Association and now used as the Alden B. Dow Office Museum; about two-thirds of the original building was demolished.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:23.542889-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/63/9713/40971363/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/10000050.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/10000050/873171ab34-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/10000050/873171ab34-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"25or6to4","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Alden_B_Dow_Office,_Lake_Jackson,_TX.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">25or6to4</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Alden_B_Dow_Office,_Lake_Jackson,_TX.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40971363","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alden_B._Dow_Office_and_Lake_Jackson_City_Hall","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4713528"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/brazoria-county/dow-alden-b-office-and-lake-jackson-city-hall-10000050/"}