Bivins House
Also known as: Bivins Library
Why it's listed
Built from 1904 and taking eighteen months to finish, this brick mansion at 1000 Polk Street in Amarillo has limestone trim, a hipped roof with a balustraded deck, and a two-story pedimented portico with composite columns. Its design is a West Texas take on late Georgian Revival, mixed with Edwardian bay windows, leaded glass and rusticated stone. It was the home of Lee Bivins and Mary Elizabeth Bivins. Lee Bivins built up ranch holdings across Texas and New Mexico, owned roughly 500,000 acres, and was regarded as the largest individual cattle operator in the world. He also held large natural gas acreage, served as county commissioner, and was in his fourth year as Amarillo's mayor when he died in 1929. Mary Bivins supervised the construction, replaced workers during a labor dispute, and painted the dining room murals. She later founded a foundation that built a home for the elderly and left the house to the City of Amarillo in 1951, which operates it as a memorial library.
Significance in brief: The house was the home of the Bivins family, prominent in the early ranching of Texas and the Southwest, and has long been one of the showplaces of the Panhandle. Lee Bivins was a leading cattleman, landowner and civic figure who served as mayor of Amarillo. The house is also a West Texas version of late Georgian Revival design with Edwardian touches.
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 74002088, listed December 31, 1974. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 1000 Polk St., Amarillo |
|---|---|
| County | Potter County |
| Listed | December 31, 1974 |
| Reference number | 74002088 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 20th Century (specific date 1904) |
| Architectural style | West Texas version of late Georgian Revival, with Edwardian bay windows, leaded glass and rusticated stone trim |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Literature, Education |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Excellent and unaltered condition on its original site; owned by the City of Amarillo and operated as the Mary E. Bivins Memorial Library. |
| Acreage | 2 |
| Coordinates | 35.20316, -101.83855 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
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 74002088.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q110000655
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.