Bob Harris Station

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker says about Bob Harris Station in Harris County. Pull up a chair, because this one's a story about a city that grew up fast, and the building that watched it happen. Back in 1893, portions of the Sam Allen Ranch were developed into what became Pasadena.

Now that's your origin right there, a ranch turned city, and Pasadena didn't waste any time finding its purpose. It grew into an industrial center for the Houston Ship Channel, and it did that growing during two of the hardest stretches in American history, the Great Depression and World War II. A city grinding and building through all of that.

So by 1939, when the Federal Works Agency stepped in to put up a new post office, Pasadena had earned something worth building right. The design came from Carl F. Guenther, and what he drew up was no ordinary government box.

The builders mixed oyster shells into the concrete. Let that settle for a moment. Oyster shells, right there in the walls.

The east entrance came dressed with a loggia, six limestone columns, steel double entry doors, and coach lamps. Walk inside and your eyes went up, because the ceilings were high and the double hung windows worked with a well in the hip roof to let the building breathe on its own. No mechanical fussing required.

The place could ventilate itself. Somewhere along the way, that post office got named Bob Harris Station, and it carried Pasadena's mail and its commercial ambitions clear through the 20th century. It served the city until 2010.

More than seven decades of letters, packages, and a whole lot of life passing through those steel doors. Not bad for a building held together, in part, by oyster shells.

What the marker says

In 1893, portions of the Sam Allen Ranch developed into Pasadena. The city became an industrial center for the Houston Ship Channel during the Great Depression and World War II. In 1939, the Federal Works Agency built a new post office, later named Bob Harris Station, based on a design by Carl F. Guenther. Oyster shells were used to create the concrete mix for the building. The east entrance featured a loggia with six limestone columns, steel double entry doors and coach lamps. Inside, high ceilings and double hung windows allowed the building to self-ventilate through a well in the hip roof. The post office symbolized Pasadena's commercial growth during the 20th century, serving the city until 2010. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2019