South County Office Building

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the South County Office Building in Jefferson County. Pull over if you want to get a good look at this one, because the building itself is part of the story. You'll see what I mean.

Down in the southern part of Jefferson County, the petrochemical industry came roaring to life in the early 1930s, and it brought with it a whole lot of people, a whole lot of business, and a whole lot of need for county government to keep up. Jefferson County had a courthouse, sure, but Port Arthur was a long way from convenience, and the county needed a presence down south. Now, this wasn't as simple as just picking out a plot of land.

State legislation was required before the county could even build what the law called a subcourthouse. So local elected officials introduced a bill in the Legislature, and on April 30, 1931, that bill was passed. Plans were made, and the wheels started turning.

The money came from the Federal Public Works Administration, the PWA, which was funding projects across the country in those years. Construction began on August 10, 1935, and was completed the following year. Three floors, each one with a job to do.

The first floor held offices for county commissioners and other officials. The second floor contained court facilities. And the third floor, well, that was the jail.

Every floor pulling its weight. But here is where the story gets interesting in a way you can still see today. The PWA had a way of doing things, a particular style, and this building is a fine example of it.

Art moderne, they call it, as interpreted through the lens of PWA projects in the 1930s. Eagles capping the pilasters at the entry. Stylized classical detailing.

Floral banding. Allegorical medallions. This wasn't just a government box thrown up to process paperwork.

Somebody wanted this building to mean something. A one-story addition came along in the 1970s, and the building is still in service as a county facility today. The petrochemical boom called for it, a Legislature answered, the PWA built it with something like pride, and Jefferson County has been using it ever since.

Some buildings just hold their ground.

What the marker says

The growth of the petrochemical industry in the southern part of Jefferson County in the early 1930s resulted in the need for extended county government services. State legislation was required in order to enable the county to build a "subcourthouse" in Port Arthur. Introduced in the Legislature by local elected officials, a bill was passed on April 30, 1931, and plans were made to build a new south county office facility to serve this part of the county. Funded as a project of the Federal Public Works Administration (PWA), construction of the building began on August 10, 1935, and was completed the following year. The first floor housed offices of county commissioners and other officials; the second floor contained court facilities; and the third floor was occupied by a jail. Still in service as a county facility, the structure is an ornamental example of the art moderne style as typically interpreted by PWA projects in the 1930s. Prominent features include stylized classical detailing, eagles capping the pilasters at the entry, floral banding, and allegorical medallions. A one-story addition was built in the 1970s. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1989