Eagle Lake Commercial Historic District

Downtown Eagle Lake, Texas, is a ten-block commercial district centered on Main Street and the public square, about halfway between Austin and Houston. Its 39 buildings are mostly one- and two-story attached brick commercial blocks, with corbelled parapets, arched windows, dentil bands and some cast-iron storefront columns. Many date from 1903-04 and from 1911-13, and there are later additions such as the 1926 Italian Renaissance revival Old City Hall, a 1938 service station, and a 1958 bank. The district grew because three railroad lines met just east of town, and the Southern Pacific Depot, the only wooden building left, recalls that role. Several larger buildings, including the Hughs buildings, the Masonic Lodge and the Baring-Hughs Building, show Beaux Arts symmetry and Italian Renaissance detail. The district was recognized locally for its commerce, community development and architecture, and for keeping the look of an early twentieth-century rural Texas business center. Thirty-five of its 39 resources contribute to that character.