Mineola Downtown Historic District
Mineola, Wood County
Mineola, Texas, was established in 1873 with the coming of the Texas and Pacific Railway (T&P) and the International-Great Northern Railroad (I-GN), and its townsite layout and subsequent developmental pattern were strongly influenced by the alignment of the railroad tracks. Mineola’s downtown area has traditionally served as the city’s commercial and civic focal point, as well as the commercial center of southwestern Wood County and neighboring areas of Smith and Van Zandt Counties. Even following the construction of shopping centers on the edge of the city from the 1960s to the present, downtown Mineola has continued to enjoy strong commercial and retail activity. The Mineola Downtown Historic District contains commercial and civic buildings ranging from one to three stories in height, as well as brick streets and free-standing commercial signage. Properties in the district date from between c.1885 to c.1980, with most dating from the early twentieth century. Brick is the dominant exterior material within the district, with most buildings having commercial storefronts of cast iron, wood, or aluminum-enframed glass. A few buildings have notable influences of late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century architectural styles, including Italianate, Classical Revival, Beaux Arts, and Art Moderne. The district contains a cohesive collection of commercial and civic properties with few non-historic intrusions. The district’s resources generally retain their salient physical features and the district retains its overall historic character, with sufficient integrity to convey the district’s historical and architectural significance.
The Mineola Downtown Historic District was listed under Criterion A at the local level in the areas of Commerce and Community Planning and Development, and under National Register Criterion C at the local level in the area of Architecture, with a period of significance extending from 1888, the date of the oldest extant building, to 1963.
Download the Mineola Downtown Historic District nomination (pdf) and photos (pdf)
