Bay City Post Office
Also known as: Matagorda County Museum
Why it's listed
Built in 1917-1918 at 2100 Avenue F in Bay City, this one-story post office was Matagorda County's first federal building. James A. Wetmore, the U.S. Treasury's Supervising Architect, designed it from standardized plans, and W.B. Lovell of Minneapolis served as contractor. Buff brick walls rise from a raised basement, and a pedimented portico on four Tuscan columns marks the entrance. A large Palladian window faces the street on the north side, and a balustrade hides the clerestory above the lobby. Inside, the lobby keeps its terrazzo floor, cypress paneling and some original postal boxes. A sympathetic addition and loading dock were added in 1958, and the Postal Service left in 1989. The Matagorda County Museum Association bought the building in 1990 and opened a museum there in 1992. The building is recognized for its role in local government and for its Neoclassical design, which reflects federal post office standards of the 1910s.
Significance in brief: It was Matagorda County's first federal building and a good example of the standardized small-town post offices produced by the U.S. Treasury Department in the 1910s. Its Neoclassical Revival design reflects federal building policy of the period. It also served the community as a post office for 71 years and as a meeting place, draft board site and storm refuge.
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 09000307, listed May 12, 2009. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 2100 Ave. F, Bay City |
|---|---|
| County | Matagorda County |
| Listed | May 12, 2009 |
| Reference number | 09000307 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1917-1958 |
| Architect / builder | James A. Wetmore, supervising architect; W.B. Lovell, contractor |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals: Neoclassical/Georgian Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Houses the Matagorda County Museum, which opened in 1992 after the Postal Service moved out in 1989. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 28.98479, -95.97026 (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 09000307.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q107318157
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.