Dow, Alden B., Office and Lake Jackson City Hall
Why it's listed
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.
Significance in brief: 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.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 10000050, listed March 1, 2010. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 101 S. Parking Pl., Lake Jackson |
|---|---|
| County | Brazoria County |
| Listed | March 1, 2010 |
| Reference number | 10000050 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1943-1959 |
| Architect / builder | Alden B. Dow |
| Architectural style | Modern movement |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Community Planning and Development |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | 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. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 29.04155, -95.44920 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 10000050.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4713528
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.