Texas Courthouses (Houston, Dallas, El Paso: live, architecture, small businesses)

[turkeytrot]

Here in Texas there are so many courthouses, some are so so and some spectacular. Here is a site with all the courthouses in the state listed by county Seats. The ones in bold are the ons not to miss.
My favorite is the Ellis county Courthouse.
http://www.texasescapes.com/Texas_ar...ourthouses.htm

[TexasReb]

Originally Posted by turkeytrot

Here in Texas there are so many courthouses, some are so so and some spectacular. Here is a site with all the courthouses in the state listed by county Seats. The ones in bold are the ons not to miss.
My favorite is the Ellis county Courthouse.
Texas Courthouses.

Good post, TT. I haven't been to Waxahachie in quite a few years, but I definitely remember being impressed by the courthouse. I don't know what it is like now, but the last time I went thru there (probably 10 years ago), the small businesses set up around the courthouse square gave one a sense of taking a walk back in time to the 30's or 40's. Just laid back, easy going, and folks sitting outside on benches visiting and talking...

[NOTAM]

my favorite are right here-Lampasas County and Coryell County

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa81/bidwiser1/GatesvilleCourthouse02.jpg (broken link)

[tstone]

I must say those are some cool buildings. This is what our court houses generally look like in Houston

[Muhnay]

Bet if you look hard enough in Houston you'll find many old courthouses.





This one is in Dallas..



I have not been able to find one in El Paso TX.. maybe ours was lost in time.

[TexasReb]

Originally Posted by tstone

I must say those are some cool buildings. This is what our court houses generally look like in Houston

Yeah, same damn thing happened back in the 60's in Wichita County. Tore down one of those old classic Texas county courthouses with its architecture, and replaced it with something to look more "modern."

Way to go, folks. Wreck a century of craftmanship and history in favor of erecting a building with all the character of a First National Bank building.

Here are the comparrisons:

http://www.texasescapes.com/TexasPan...alls-Texas.htm

[Delta Planter]

Originally Posted by TexasReb

Yeah, same damn thing happened back in the 60's in Wichita County. Tore down one of those old classic Texas county courthouses with its architecture, and replaced it with something to look more "modern."

Way to go, folks. Wreck a century of craftmanship and history in favor of erecting a building with all the character of a First National Bank building.

Was there a "reason" given for razing it? Surely there had to be something amiss, Reb, like maybe the exterior walls were crumbling and beyond repair, or the foundation was letting loose, or it was an "eyesore" because of its age, although I do think eyesores can be improved rather than demolished.

[High_Plains_Retired]

I'll vote for the Hill County courthouse at Hillsboro, Texas.

http://www.texascourthouses.com/Courthouse%20Photos/Hill.JPG (broken link)

[High_Plains_Retired]

Originally Posted by Delta Planter

Was there a "reason" given for razing it?

Not considering the razing of historic courthouses by mediocre county bureaucrats, many of the older wooden courthouses used wood stoves for heating. It was just a matter of time before someone turned over a stove or a live ash went somewhere it was not meant to. County records that were not protected from fire went up in smoke. Many family historians have run into a roadblock at a "burned courthouse."

[Philosophizer]

there's a bunch of pretty ones in central Texas. Llano, Brady, Mason, and Johnson City come to mind. Any of those old German towns with the typical town square all seem to have beautiful court houses.