US Post Office-Pampa Main
Also known as: Main Post Office,Pampa,Texas
Why it's listed
This post office at 120 E. Foster in Pampa, Texas, was built in 1933 and 1934 in the Spanish Renaissance Revival style. It is a reinforced-concrete building faced in limestone, with a red mission tile roof, round arches, hand-forged window grilles and a carved frieze whose medallions show a plow, an oil derrick, a beehive and a shock of wheat. Inside, the lobby has marble floors and columns and a coffered ceiling stenciled in green, red, blue, buff and gilt. The design was by DeWitt & Washburn of Dallas and T.P. Lippincott of Philadelphia. Its size and ornament reflect the oil boom of the late 1920s, when Pampa grew from under a thousand residents to over ten thousand and its post office rose from third-class to first-class. Congressman Marvin Jones helped secure the Public Works Administration project. Opened in June 1934, it became a local landmark and gathering place, and remains one of Pampa's most architecturally significant buildings.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it an outstanding example of Spanish Renaissance Revival style as used by the federal government for institutional buildings. Its unusually elaborate and expensive design during the Depression reflects the impact of the late-1920s Gray County oil boom. It was one of the most ornate post offices in the Texas Panhandle and became a major local landmark.
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 86003236, listed November 17, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 120 E. Foster, Pampa |
|---|---|
| County | Gray County |
| Listed | November 17, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86003236 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1933-1934 |
| Architect / builder | DeWitt & Washburn, Dallas; T.P. Lippincott, Philadelphia; contractor Stibbard Construction Company |
| Architectural style | Spanish Renaissance Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as occupied and in use as a government post office; the form describes it as unaltered, with an added airlock at the entry. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 35.53610, -100.96049 (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 86003236.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q110000663
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.