Facilities

This building houses the administrative offices for Parks and Recreation and the City Marshals/Park Rangers.
 

Historical Facts:

GRANT HARRIS JR BLDG- Grant Harris, Jr. was born on January 4, 1931 to Grant Harris, Sr. and his wife, Beulah Harris. Grant’s grandfather, Rev. Nathan Harris, had sold the land his mother gained during Reconstruction and moved his family to San Marcos in 1922, purchasing 200 acres of land where the San Marcos Outlet Mall stands today. Rev. Nathan Harris was one of the first African Americans to own land in the area.  

In 1950, Grant married Evelyn Nettie Lee. The couple had 4 children: Josephine, Bettie Jean, Evelyn Grace and Charles.  

Grant began his employment with the City of San Marcos on February 1, 1949 as a Driver in the Sanitation Department. Throughout the course of his 44 years of employment, he was promoted more than seven times, ultimately becoming the Facilities and Grounds Crew Maintenance Supervisor for the Parks and Recreation Department in 1985. He was affectionately referred to by his fellow coworkers as the “Dean of City Employees” and in 1991 was named “Employee of the Year.” 

Grant died on February 1, 1993. He is buried at Memory Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Martindale, Texas. 

In April of 1993, a red oak tree was dedicated by his coworkers and planted in his honor at the Children’s Park on CM Allen Parkway. At the time of this inscription the tree is over 43 feet tall. 

In 1995, the Police Station headquarters was relocated and the building, located at 401 E. Hopkins, was renovated to house the Parks and Recreation Department and the Environmental Health Department. The building was dedicated in Grant Harris’s honor on November 19, 1996 in remembrance of his years of dedicated public service.