{"nrhp_refnum":"92000209","name":"McMurry College Administration Building","other_names":["3306"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Off Hunt, McMurry College","address_restricted":false,"city":"Abilene","county":"Taylor County","state":"TX","lat":32.42923576600003,"lon":-99.75151535999998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1992-03-23","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story Classical Revival administration building of brick on a concrete foundation, on the McMurry College campus in Abilene, Taylor County, Texas. It was built in 1923 and designed by local architect David S. Castle.","why_significant":"It is significant under Criterion A in the area of Education for its association with McMurry College and the college's role in making Abilene an educational center in West Texas. It was the first completed construction on the campus and its focal point. It is also the least altered historic building on campus and keeps much of its integrity.","narrative":"Rising three stories above the McMurry College campus in Abilene, the Administration Building was completed in 1923, the year the college opened. Local architect David S. Castle designed it in the Classical Revival style, with brick walls, a flat roof and an 11-bay symmetrical front facade. A three-bay pedimented portico with giant-order Ionic columns and pilasters rises the full height of the north front, and denticulated cornices run along the pediment and around the building. It was the first completed construction on campus and became the institution's focal point. McMurry was chartered by the Northwest Texas Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and was Abilene's third church-affiliated institution of higher learning. The building is valued for its link to the college's part in establishing Abilene as an educational center in West Texas. Some windows have been replaced or filled with brick, yet it remains the least altered historic building on campus. It continues to house offices and classrooms.","period_of_significance":"1923-1939","architect_builder":"Castle, David S.","architectural_style":"Classical Revival","criteria":["A"],"status_note":"Still used for administrative offices and classrooms; in good condition and well maintained, with replaced and enclosed windows.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:21.716249-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/2/9701/40970102/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/92000209.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/92000209/9d1e584138-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/92000209/9d1e584138-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Renelibrary","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:McMurry_University_Administration_Building.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:McMurry_University_Administration_Building.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40970102","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q110001323"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/taylor-county/mcmurry-college-administration-building-92000209/"}