DUANE
Duane's take
Here's what the official marker has to say, in my own telling — so settle in. Back in 1902, the Sherman Division of the Federal District Court for the Eastern District of Texas was established, and right away, somebody with authority started drawing up plans. Sherman was going to need a building worthy of the federal government — a real one.
The man they turned to was John Knox Taylor, the U.S. Treasury Department's Supervising Architect, and whatever you think about government work, Taylor did not mail this one in. He designed a Spanish Colonial revival-beaux arts style building — which is already a mouthful — and he put everything he had into it.
By early 1907, the thing was done, and it had cost one hundred and forty thousand dollars. Now in 1907, that was not pocket change. They planted it right in the commercial center of Sherman, close to the rail station, where everyone coming and going would have to reckon with it.
Terra cotta roof tiles. Faux balconies dressed up with wrought iron grillwork. Lamp brackets at both entrances.
And perched up top, overlooking the main entry — two eagles. Two of them, just watching. The marker calls it an imposing edifice, and I'm not going to argue with that.
From 1907 all the way to 1963, the U.S. Postal Service occupied the entire first floor — fifty-six years of mail sorting under those eagle eyes. When the post office finally moved in 1963, the first floor got remodeled to mark the occasion.
The rest of the building, though? Essentially unchanged. Over the decades, the place became something of a federal family reunion — the Selective Service Administration, the Internal Revenue Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the General Services Administration, and the Departments of Agriculture, Labor, and Defense all set up local offices inside those walls at one time or another.
That's a lot of government under one terra cotta roof. John Knox Taylor put that building in Sherman in 1907, and Sherman hasn't had much reason to move it since.
What the marker says
After the Sherman Division of the Federal District Court for the Eastern District of Texas was established in 1902, plans were made to construct this building to serve the court and the postal service. U. S. Treasury Department Supervising Architect John Knox Taylor designed this Spanish Colonial revival-beaux arts style building. Located in the commercial center in close proximity to the rail station, the structure was completed in early 1907 at a cost of $140,000. With its terra cotta roof tiles, faux balconies with wrought iron grillwork, lamp brackets at both entrances, and two eagles overlooking the main entry, it was an imposing edifice and a significant addition to Sherman's downtown environment. In addition to the federal court, the building has housed local offices of other federal agencies, including the Selective Service Administration, Internal Revenue Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation, General Services Administration, and the Departments of Agriculture, Labor and Defense. From 1907 to 1963, the U. S. Postal Service occupied the entire first floor. The original design of the building has remained essentially unchanged except for the first floor, which was remodeled when the post office moved in 1963. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1997