The Texas Federation of Women's Clubs Headquarters

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Now, when you talk about organizations that shaped the Lone Star State, you'd be hard-pressed to find one with longer reach or steadier purpose than the Texas Federation of Women's Clubs. Founded in 1897 — dedicated, from the very first, to education and humanitarian programs — this was a group that meant business.

And when a group means business, eventually they start thinking about a permanent address. That goal, a real State Headquarters to call their own, got answered in the early 1930s with the construction of this very building right here in Travis County. They didn't just throw up four walls and a roof, either.

They brought in Henry Coke Knight, a prominent Dallas architect, to do the job right. Knight, who lived from 1896 to 1966, had a gift for the formal and the stately, and what he gave them was one of the finest examples of Georgian revival architecture in the entire state of Texas. You walk up to this place and the first thing that grabs you is that dominant central two-story portico — commanding, balanced, the kind of entrance that says whatever happens inside these walls matters.

And fine detailing throughout, the kind that rewards a second look and then a third. Nearly a century of education and humanitarian work, all anchored to a building worthy of the mission. That's not just a headquarters.

That's a statement.

What the marker says

Dedicated to the pursuit of education and humanitarian programs, the Texas Federation Of Women's Clubs was founded in 1897. The goal of a permanent State Headquarters was realized with the construction of this building in the early 1930s. Designed by prominent Dallas architect Henry Coke Knight (1896-1966), it is one of the best examples of Georgian revival architecture in Texas and features a dominant central two-story portico and fine detailing. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark-1986