Graham Post Office
Also known as: United States Post Office, Graham, Texas; Old Post Office Museum and Fine Arts Center
Why it's listed
Completed in 1936 on the courthouse square in downtown Graham, Texas, this small post office reflects the Art Moderne influence on federal buildings of the Depression era. Designed by Louis A. Simon of the U.S. Treasury, it is built of buff brick with a flat roof, cubic massing, a cast-stone cornice, and a frieze of geometric zigzag patterns. Ornamental aluminum grillwork and sculptural lights flank and top the entrance. The lobby keeps its dark wood paneling, original furniture, and a vestibule of wood. Above the postmaster's office door hangs a 1939 mural by Alexandre Hogue, a leading Texas regionalist and member of the Dallas Nine. Titled Oil Fields of Graham, it shows oil workers, an executive, and the town founder Edwin S. Graham against a backdrop of derricks and storage tanks. The building was the town's first permanent post office, costing $60,000, and has changed very little since construction. Its architecture and mural together illustrate federal public building and art programs of the 1930s.
Significance in brief: The building is significant locally under Criterion C in architecture as an example of the Art Moderne style promoted for federal Depression-era buildings, designed by U.S. Treasury architect Louis A. Simon. It is also significant in art for the 1939 lobby mural by regional artist Alexandre Hogue, a member of the Dallas Nine. The building keeps a high degree of architectural and artistic integrity.
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 99000724, listed June 25, 1999. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 429 Third St., Graham |
|---|---|
| County | Young County |
| Listed | June 25, 1999 |
| Reference number | 99000724 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1935-1949 |
| Architect / builder | Simon, Louis A. (U.S. Treasury Architect); Hogue, Alexandre (muralist) |
| Architectural style | Modern Movement: Moderne (Art Moderne) |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Architecture, Art |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Current function is listed as work in progress; the building has had only minor alterations such as handrails, a relocated flagpole and non-historic aluminum entrance doors. It is also known as the Old Post Office Museum and Fine Arts Center. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 33.10581, -98.67667 (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 99000724.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q107319797
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.