"U.S. Post Office, Wichita Falls, Tex."
By James Knox Taylor, architect, July 11, 1910
Watercolor and wash on board
23 3/4" x 19 3/4" National Archives and Records Administration, Records of the Public
Buildings Service
U.S. Post Offices: Wichita Falls,
Texas In 1898 architect James Knox Taylor began a 15-year
tenure as Supervising Architect of the Department of the Treasury. A strong
advocate of classical design, Taylor left his mark on hundreds of new
federal buildings across the country. During his incumbency, the number
of federal buildings authorized exceeded the total number of buildings
erected since the United States became a nation. By Taylor's last year
in office, the Treasury Department authorized 10 new buildings each month.
Taylor's design for the U.S. Post Office in Wichita Falls, Texas conveyed
a sense of great dignity and included intricate stone and iron work, recessed
windows, and elegant archways. Taylor's design was based upon a grander
one by Paul Cret and Albert Kelsey for the Pan American Union building
located at Constitution Avenue and 17th Street, NW, in Washington, DC.