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Then...: In 1962, NASA temporarily moved into the Gregg Building, 2999 S. Wayside Dr., while its permanent facilities were being build in Clear Lake. Photo courtesy NASA.

By Don Whitaker

Robert Mosty remembers the day nearly 30 years ago when the Parks and Recreation Department moved into a green stone building at 2999 S. Wayside Drive.

“For the first time, maybe ever, we were all under one roof,” he said. “They wiped down all the walls with Liquid Gold and made that paneling shine. They polished all the floors. That was a real Cadillac of a building.”

“It felt good to be in a historic landmark,” Mosty said.

The Gragg Building that the department had just moved into was a survivor of the 1960s space program, the former home of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s greatest minds.

After NASA announced it was moving to Houston in 1961, the agency needed temporary facilities while its new home was being built in Houston’s Clear Lake Industrial Park. NASA found a perfect headquarters in an empty building on 46 acres of wilderness beside Brays Bayou, at the end of South Wayside.

On Oct. 5, Parks celebrated the Gragg Building’s 50th birthday with a rededication. It was a time to reflect on the building’s history and look to its future.

World-Class Architecture
In 1954, the construction firm Farnsworth and Chambers Co. hired trend-setting architects MacKie and Kamrath to design its office complex. Their designs brought attention to Houston as a center for modern architecture, and the building on South Wayside was a prime example of their skill.

Long and low, with modern horizontal lines that seemed to stretch forever, its stonework was an almost otherworldly green. And the building featured a wonderful new innovation, air conditioning.

However, Farnsworth and Chambers didn’t enjoy it for long. The building was completed in 1956, but their official address didn’t reflect their presence until 1959. In 1961, the building was bought by W.D. York and Gragg Drilling and renamed the Gragg Building.

Then came NASA’s announcement.

Space Center, U.S.A.
“Houston stands at one of the great crossroads of the world,” stated Houston Magazine in February 1962, the same month John Glenn achieved orbital space flight.

Houston had beaten 20 other cities vying to house NASA’s Manned Spacecraft Center based on 14 criteria.

“Houston more than measures up,” NASA’s site-selection team stated during the announcement.

“Houston grew to greatness during the past century and a quarter through a succession of singularly remarkable achievements,” Houston Magazine wrote. “This newest advance may prove to be the most significant single event in the city’s history.”

“This is … HOUSTON, SPACE CENTER, U.S.A. … America’s most exciting city,” blared Houston Magazine in a full-page layout in its July 1962 issue. That same month, the city welcomed NASA astronauts with a parade through town.

In the magazine’s November issue, Houston was called “the command post for exploring outer space.”

And for two years, that command post was housed in 12 buildings throughout southeast Houston. The Gragg Building served as headquarters as NASA sent six manned flights into space and mapped out a route to the moon.

From outer space to green space

...and now: Since 1977, the Gragg Building has been home to the Parks & Recreation Department. Photo courtesy the Parks & Recreation Department.

In 1964, NASA moved to its Clear Lake headquarters, a campus with room for ever-expanding space endeavors. The last NASA employees left Gragg in July 1964.

The Gragg Building housed the Stran-Steel and National Steel Corporations until 1974. Wheeler Street and South Wayside were extended across its property, giving drivers passing by a close look at one of Houston’s more distinctive buildings.

In 1976, the city bought the building as headquarters for the Parks & Recreation Department. The Gragg family donated the surrounding acreage for use as Gragg Park.

Parks moved in January 1977, vacating the city hall annex and the building that is now the Judson Robinson Jr. Community Center at Hermann Park. Parks has occupied the green stone building ever since, and a restoration planned for 2007 will bring the building into mint condition for the next 50 years.

“It’s great to remember that this place has such an exciting history,” said Joe Turner, Parks director. “We get a kick out of the fact that a building once focused on space is now dedicated to green space.”

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