Marconi Tower at Port Arthur College
Why it's listed
Rising 130 feet above the campus of Lamar State College-Port Arthur, this steel lattice tower was erected in 1909 for Port Arthur College, a vocational school founded by John W. Gates. Four canted legs about 20 feet apart at the base support a finial, and the original antenna was 50 feet tall. The Marconi Wireless Telegraphy Company donated the antenna and teaching instruments, and students trained as wireless operators by exchanging messages with ships at sea. In the 1930s the tower also served the college radio station, and it was later used for broadcasting that served the wider Port Arthur community. Salt-laden Gulf Coast air badly corroded the structure, so in 2001 it was dismantled, repaired, hot-dip galvanized, repainted and re-erected. It is the oldest structure on the campus and was marked by a Texas Historical Marker in 1988. It was listed for its local significance in education and communications.
Significance in brief: The tower was a key educational component of the new vocational school, which taught wireless telegraphy using a Marconi Wireless Telegraphy Company antenna and instruments. Students gained hands-on experience sending and receiving messages with ships at sea. It later served as a radio broadcast tower for the college and community, and is the oldest structure on campus.
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 08000756, listed August 5, 2008. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 1500 Procter, Port Arthur |
|---|---|
| County | Jefferson County |
| Listed | August 5, 2008 |
| Reference number | 08000756 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | 1909-1957 |
| Architect / builder | unknown |
| Architectural style | No style |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Education, Communications |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Not in use as a broadcast tower; restored in 2001 by dismantling, galvanizing, repainting and re-erecting it. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 29.88138, -93.92654 (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 08000756.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q110002675
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.