Hipolito F. Garcia Federal Building and United States Courthouse, Courthouse in downtown San Antonio, United States
The Hipolito F. Garcia Federal Building and United States Courthouse is a six-story stone structure on Alamo Plaza, directly across from the Alamo. Its cream and pink facade features symmetrical rows of tall windows, a columned entrance, and carved ornaments that stay visible from the busy plaza.
Built as a Great Depression public works project, the building was designed by Ralph Haywood Cameron with Paul Philippe Cret under the Treasury Department's Office of the Supervising Architect. A ceremonial cornerstone was laid in 1935, construction finished in 1936, and the building opened in 1937. It was renamed in 2004 for Judge Hipolito Frank Garcia (1925–2002).
The large fresco in the lobby shows Texas history through scenes of horses, ships, and soldiers, painted directly onto the wall by Howard Cook. The two-story courtroom on the third floor still feels like a place for solemn decisions, with tall windows, wood furniture, chandeliers, and plaster moldings that visitors can look at during guided walks.
You can step into the ground-floor lobby during regular weekday hours to look at the marble surfaces and old light fixtures. The public areas are easy to walk through for most visitors, and staying near the entrance gives you a clear view of the interior details without needing special access.
The first floor and basement were air-conditioned when the building opened in 1937, a technology not yet installed in any other post office in the country. The postal lobby keeps its original bronze and glass-topped tables and 41 bronze sales window-boxes beneath a band of fretwork.
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