Paris Commercial Historic District

Downtown Paris, Texas, is preserved as a 28-block district of roughly 150 buildings arranged in a grid around the Plaza, the site of founder George Wright's early store. Fires in 1877 and 1916 destroyed earlier commercial structures, so most buildings date from a rebuilding boom between 1916 and 1920. Local architects and investors drew on Midwestern trends from St. Louis, Chicago and Kansas City, producing one- and two-story masonry buildings with Prairie School detailing alongside Beaux Arts public buildings. Notable works include the Lamar County Courthouse, City Hall and Fire Station, the Paris Public Library, the Culbertson Fountain and the Peristyle in Bywaters Park, several designed by J.L. Wees. The district also reflects unusual planning: the courthouse was moved off the square in 1873, and a park and market square were created south of the Plaza after 1916. The result is a visually harmonious commercial center tied to the cotton economy of northeast Texas.